A Gift From The Gods
by Nika Volkov
Summary: Merlin has just arrived in Camelot and has already revealed himself to Gaius by using magic to save him. But he didn't just out himself to Gaius. He has also revealed himself to King Uther, who was watching from the shadows. Will Uther decide to sentence them both to death? Or will he decide that Merlin was meant to be a gift from the Gods? (Canon divergence slow burn Merlin/Uther)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: this chapter contains some text from the first episode of Merlin (which doesn't belong to me), and will be indicated in **bold**

Chapter 1

At the sight of the stunning citadel, Merlin couldn't help but gasp. He'd heard of Camelot's grandeur, but to see it in person was impressive, to say the least. He shook himself out of his surprise. He needed to get to Gaius' chambers at a reasonable time, and he had no doubt he would get lost in the process.

Trekking into the citadel, Merlin was practically overwhelmed. He could barely focus on where he was going. There were so many people, their voices combining into a clamor. So many new smells assaulted his nose, no doubt coming from the various vendors lined up along the streets. He had a hard time keeping his eyes in front of him, too busy observing his new surroundings.

Walking into the castle courtyard, Merlin's curiosity was piqued by the sound of trumpets. The people around him were all going in one direction, so he followed them. The crowd was gathered in a circle and Merlin rose up on his tiptoes to try to get a better vantage point. However, his curiosity was washed away by the sound of heavy drums, and replaced by a feeling of anxiety. His fear spiked when he watched two guards escort a man to the center of the square and onto what Merlin could see now was a raised stage with a block in the middle. An executioner's block.

He jumped when he heard a strong voice call out from the balcony above the courtyard, " **Let this serve as a lesson to all**." The man was brought up onto the platform. " **This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death.** " The realization of what was about to happen finally dawned on him. He gulped. " **I pride myself as a fair and just king,** " the man declared, " **But for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass.** "

Merlin saw the King nod to the guards, who then brought the man, one of his kin, to his knees. A wave of terror washed over him, but there was nothing he could do. The King lifted his hand and then dropped it. The sound of the drums couldn't cover up the sound of the ax being brought down. Merlin had to close his eyes, but he opened them when he heard the King start talking once more.

" **When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help, magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate 20 years since the great dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery.** " Merlin knew then and there, that the image of King Uther, hands raised as he declares his satisfaction at the death of one of his kin, would be burned into his head forever.

" **Let the celebrations begin**." The King turned his back on the crowd as he went to leave. The crowd around him began to whisper to themselves. However, everything went quiet again, at the sound of a painful wail. The King turned back to the crowd as he realized that the woman who cried out was addressing him. Merlin barely managed to hide his gasp when the woman continued on to threaten the King and his son. He looked on in shock as the old woman then disappeared in a whirlwind. He watched as the King sped off the balcony and out of sight. The crowd began to disperse, and Merlin decided he needed to get to Gaius as soon as possible.

Uther walked as quickly as would be acceptable for a king down the corridor. He had to get to Gaius' chambers. This new threat was unacceptable. He hoped Gaius would have some idea of how to find the witch, or at the very least keep her away from Arthur. He finally reached the staircase leading to his old friend's rooms when he heard Gaius cry out along with the sound of wood shattering. He raced up the stairs. The door was wide open and he was about to charge in, but he stopped himself in shock.

A young man with black hair, who was standing in the middle of the room, seemed to stop time itself. Gaius was frozen in midair. The boy then looked at a bed on the other side of the room and moved it under Gaius. Uther moved out of the doorway. That boy had used magic. Granted he used it to save his friend, but magic was magic, and no forms of it would be accepted in his kingdom. Uther went to call for the guards but stopped himself once again at the sound of Gaius' voice.

Gaius was asking the youth about his magic. The boy was doing everything he could to deny his sorcery but Gaius insisted. Uther scowled. He knew that Gaius had an affinity for magic and its practitioners, but by the gods, he should be calling out for the guards right now. A thought dawned on him. Was Gaius betraying him? He listened once more and was bewildered when he heard the boy claim he was born with magic. As if such a thing was possible. He felt slightly satisfied when he heard Gaius mirror his response.

Uther's mind was made up. He would continue to listen, to see if his friend was indeed betraying him and his kingdom. And if Gaius was found guilty of treason, he frowned, then they would both burn. He once again focused his attention on the conversation happening behind him. The boy, Merlin, was introducing himself to Gaius. His friend proceeded to tell the boy that he wouldn't tell anyone about the magic. And that was all the proof he needed. He stormed away, making sure he wasn't seen. He could've called the guards and arrested them right then and there, but no. He needed to find out just how far Gaius was going to go in his deception. And then, he would have their heads.

End of Chapter 1

A/N: So what do you guys think? Tell me if you'd like to read more of this story, and what you think is going to happen next. The story will be titled after a few chapters, once I come up with one :) and as always, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Merlin knew that tonight, his first night in Camelot would be remembered fondly for the rest of his days. Nothing spectacular or of significance was happening, but to him, it felt incredible. Gaius had let him get settled in what obviously used to be a small storage room. A wooden bed had been moved into the room for him to sleep on. Another might have thought the bed too uncomfortable and the room too small, but Merlin was a simple man and he was content here. In fact, he considered himself incredibly lucky to even have a room to himself. When he was living with his mother, he would sleep on the floor of the small living room. Tonight Merlin felt like a king.

However, the best part of the whole room wasn't the actual room or the bed. It was the window. A large window towards the ceiling that he had to climb onto a table to open. It was by far the greatest view he had ever seen. Camelot was impressive by day sure, but at night it was even more marvelous. The noise of people's voices and a combination of various other sounds like clanging metal and barking dogs floated up towards him. The full moon was right above the city, and to Merlin, it seemed like he could reach out and grab it. And for the first time in a long time, Merlin thought to himself, _This is where I belong_.

Uther walked out onto an open walkway, just completing his morning rounds when out of the corner of his eye he spotted his son and a few knights. He rolled his eyes. Arthur was once again terrorizing the servants. Uther would never scold the prince over his treatment of the castle workers, but he did wish his son would treat them slightly better. They weren't slaves after all. Uther had also found the Arthur had become increasingly arrogant, but he was worried and at a loss over what to do about it. Either one day his son would be humbled or his overconfidence would get him killed.

He shook his head and went to leave when he spotted a new spectator of the scene that Arthur was causing. The sorcerer boy, Merlin. Uther had thought long and hard about what to do with his two traitors. He hadn't come up with anything new, however, and had decided to stick with the idea of watching for now. The thought of letting betrayal go unpunished raged him, but his curiosity had won out. He had to know if there was a larger plot at play. And then when he knew what was going on, he would have his vengeance.

The boy, Merlin, watched the spectacle silently for a bit, watching Arthur throw daggers at his makeshift 'moving target' until the servant tripped and dropped the wooden target. The target rolled right to the sorcerer, who stopped it with his foot. Uther looked on in shock as the boy rebuked his son. Arthur approached the boy. Uther was slightly disappointed when his son didn't immediately sense the boy's magic, but then, of course, the only way he himself had found out was by chance. He was amazed though, at the pure stupidity and audacity the boy had in order to speak out against his prince. He did know who Arthur was, right?

The boy went on to call Arthur an ass. It would seem that he didn't know who Arthur was. He must've come from far away, Uther thought, if he couldn't recognize his son. His eyes widened when the boy actually threw a punch at Arthur. The prince brought the boy's arm behind his back. He saw Arthur's mouth move, but the words were out of earshot. Arthur brought the boy to his knees and two knights took the boy away, most likely to a cell. Uther walked away from the balcony, wondering how a sorcerer could be this stupid. Just when he had to keep his head down, he got into a fight with the prince. But, Uther had to commend him, he didn't seem like a coward. In fact, he seemed brave, if a little naive. The king had to wonder how the boy would react if he was confronted about his magic.

Later on that night, after he had greeted Lady Helen upon her arrival, he had finally retired to his chambers. He was finishing up some paperwork when a knock at the door brought him away from his work.

"Enter." He called out.

"Sire, there's something I wish to speak to you about." It was Gaius. Finally come to turn in the sorcerer, he hoped. He nodded for the man to continue.

"My new apprentice, Merlin, has just arrived to the citadel. It would seem that there has been a bit of an altercation between him and Prince Arthur."

Uther narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I'm well aware. Although I'm still not sure why you're here Gaius."

"Well, Your Majesty, I'm here to ask that you mitigate the boy's punishment sire. I assure you he had no idea who he was speaking to."

Uther managed to keep an air of indifference even though he was growling on the inside. Gaius was not here to send the boy to jail, he was here to get him out. But the king refused to lose this battle. He would find out what they were plotting against him. He pretended to think for a few seconds.

"And what would you suggest, Gaius?"

"Perhaps a morning in the stocks would be enough to teach him his lesson?" Gaius proposed.

Uther hid his smirk from Gaius. Yes, he had to admit, seeing the boy get pelted with rotten fruits and vegetables would be amusing.

"Very well. He shall spend the night in his cell and tomorrow morning in the stocks."

The old man went to leave but before he could, the king called out to him.

"And Gaius, you would do well to teach the boy some propriety. Lest the boy find himself in a precarious situation."

Gaius nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

End of Chapter

A/N: Whoohoo chapter 2 done! I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Feel free to tell me what you think! and as always thanks to everyone for reading 3 -Milena


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hellooo my awesome readers! Chapter 3 is here. All the dialogue taken directly from the show (which I don't own despite my biggest wishes) is in **bold**.

Chapter 3

Merlin awoke to the sound of someone calling his name. Not out loud, but in his head. He jumped up from the floor of his cell and backed himself into a corner. Whoever it was called his name again. He walked towards where he had been sleeping. It seemed like the voice was coming from the floor of the cell. He jumped when the door to his cell opened suddenly and Gaius entered.

" **Merlin** ," The man scolded, " **You never cease to amaze me. The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down and what do you do? You behave like an idiot.** "

"I'm **sorry** , Gaius," He apologized.

" **You're lucky** ," the physician replied, " **I managed to pull a few strings to get you released.** "

Merlin began to thank Gaius, but the man interrupted the string of thank you's, when he added, " **Well, there is a small price to pay** …"

 _Line break_

Uther laughed softly at the sight of the sorcerer boy being pelted by rotten foods. _Serves the boy right_. The king had greatly underestimated how amusing watching the boy in the stocks was going to be. He was currently watching from a window at an angle where he wouldn't be seen but had a clear view of the show. The boy was an enigma. He should've done everything possible to stay out of sight. Instead, he starts a fight with someone who was clearly above his station, as Arthur was in his Knight's attire at the time of the incident. Yes, the boy was unique, and Uther was curious.

Of course, he was still suspicious of the boy and his guardian, but perhaps there was no exterior plot. Perhaps the boy only had an insignificant amount of magic. He had a hard time believing someone with an ulterior motive would draw such attention to himself. But he couldn't rule anything out yet. And even if the boy only had a small bit of magic, he would not allow such an evil in his kingdom, and especially not in the citadel.

He spotted Gaius walk by the boy, laughing aloud at his ward. An interesting thing. They seemed to be completely confident that no one was aware of their treason. He would let them believe so for now, after all, a surprise attack always works best.

 _Line break_

Merlin was lost in thought on the walk to Lady Helen's chambers. He was sent to give her a preparation elixir for her voice. He had finally cleaned himself but the smell still lingered. It had been a pretty uneventful day. He had met Gwen during his time in the stocks. Later on, during lunch, he had heard the story of why Uther had banned magic and how he trapped a dragon below the castle. Although Merlin had a feeling that he wasn't being told the full story.

But there had been something else. He had felt someone watching him, the entire time he was in the stocks. At first, he had thought it was his imagination, but when he was released he turned quickly towards the castle and saw a figure step out of sight in one of the high windows overlooking the stocks. Perhaps it was his imagination, but the sense of being watched was too strong. He would have to be extra careful from now on.

 _Line break_

Uther flipped through his stack of papers, not really paying attention to any one of them. He had almost been seen when the boy had been let out of the stocks. He would have to be more careful in his spying on the boy. As a king, he would be noticed if he was watching them closely and constantly. A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He called out for whoever it was to enter his rooms. Looking up from his papers he saw that it was his servant, bringing him his dinner. He had a realization. Perhaps he could not watch the boy all the time, but that didn't mean someone else couldn't. His servant had been in his employ for years now, and Uther deemed him trustworthy.

He motioned for the servant to come closer. "I have a job for you that requires the utmost attention and discretion."

The servant nodded and he continued, "Gaius, the court physician, recently took on a new apprentice. His name is Merlin. I want you to follow this boy around throughout the day and report back anything of importance to me. No matter what you see or hear, you are not allowed to give any information you gain to anyone but me. Am I understood?"

The servant nodded again, and Uther sat down to eat his dinner.

End of chapter

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! as always thank you for reading! and feel free to let me know what you think - Milena


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Speech taken directly from the show (which I don't own) will be indicated in **Bold**.

This chapter contains very slight smexy times towards the end.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Chapter 4

Merlin stormed through the corridor, not really thinking about where he was going. His shoulder and his pride were both aching. He hated this. Earlier today he had again encountered Prince Prat. If he had been able to use his powers he would have beaten the prince without a thought. But instead, he had to keep his abilities hidden and act like a useless peasant who couldn't defend himself. If he couldn't use his magic then what was the point? Why had he been born with magic, if it was just going to get him killed? Merlin stopped walking, lost in thought. Gaius had told him that he wasn't a monster. But if that were true, then why did he feel like one?

Merlin was brought back to reality when he heard a voice that he never wanted to hear again. The sound of the prince laughing along with the voices of knights reached Merlin's ears. Damn, he needed to get away. He wouldn't survive a third confrontation. Merlin looked around quickly. There was a small door on his right. He opened it and went through, closing the door behind him. His heart was racing, but it eased once he heard the nobles pass and walk out of earshot.

After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to observe his surroundings. He seemed to be in a small passageway, perhaps a servant's entrance to another part of the castle. He was curious to see where it led, and he wasn't anxious to go back out into the other hallway where he might encounter the prince again. He decided to see where it led. The hallway was dark with no windows, only lit by a few torches here and there. He was walking for a few minutes until the passageway ended in a dead end. At the end of the hallway, there was another wooden door, this time bigger than the first but not as big as one would expect a door to be.

He got closer to the door. It had a keyhole. Merlin hesitated but eventually crouched down and looked briefly into the room. Merlin gasped and stood back up quickly as his faced flushed bright pink. It was the King.

 _Line Break_

 _Time lapse to a bit before_

Uther walked into his chambers and found his servant waiting patiently for him with his lunch. The king sat down and ate in silence, going over his to-do list that had, by no surprise, expanded after the council meeting that had taken place this morning. After he finished eating he poured himself a glass of wine and finally acknowledged the servant who had just finished polishing his armor.

"Come here, boy." The servant stood up and walked towards the king. "Did you learn anything during your observations of Gaius' ward?"

The boy seemed to hesitate before answering, "Well, the boy had another altercation with the Prince this morning."

"Again?" He was in disbelief. Once might've been a coincidence, but twice? Not likely. The sorcerer was definitely up to something, something involving his son. "What happened?"

"The boy walked past the Prince and a few of the knights. It seemed like he was trying to keep his head down and keep to himself, but the Prince called out to him, sire."

So it had been Arthur that started this? "And what did he call out to the boy?"

The servant cleared his throat before answering, "The Prince asked him how his knee walking was going." Uther nearly rolled his eyes. Of course he did. But it changed things. If Arthur was the one to start things this time, then maybe the sorcerer wasn't conspiring against his son. The servant continued to recount the events of this morning when he said something that shocked the king.

"He said what?" Uther asked the boy to repeat himself.

"He said 'How long have you been training to be a prat." Uther shook his head. The boy apparently had no sense of self-preservation. "And what was Arthur's reply?"

"The Prince told the boy that he couldn't address his prince in such a way." The king nodded to himself. At least Arthur had cleared things up for the boy. Although he doubted things ended there. He motioned for the servant to continue.

"The boy, he replied," The servant paused. Uther rose his eyebrows at him, raising his goblet of wine to his mouth. "Well he replied with 'I'm sorry, how long have you been training to be a prat, my lord."

Uther nearly spit out his wine. In laughter or shock, he didn't know. The boy had some audacity, but in a way that was both amusing and surprising. He certainly wasn't afraid to speak his mind. But at the same time, the sorcerer had avoided Arthur at the beginning. _A wolf in sheep's clothing_ Uther thought to himself. The boy was dangerous, of that he had no doubt, but could it be that he was only dangerous when cornered or confronted? He would have to keep observing.

He asked the servant to go draw him a bath, and after that was done he sent the boy on his way. Usually, nobles and royals would have their servants help them in bathing, but Uther considered the action too intimate. His bathing was, for lack of other words, his alone time. It was where he could organize his thoughts and decide on how to handle certain situations that arose during the day.

As soon as the serving boy was gone, Uther undressed and slid into the hot water of the tub. The heat seemed to be the only thing that could relax him these days. Well, that and one other thing. Uther sank down into the water further and wrapped a hand around said other thing. His other hand gripped the edge of the tub while he stroked himself. He was about to finish when he heard a very soft gasp come from the servant's entrance.

Uther moved so that his body was hidden under the water, but he couldn't stop pleasuring himself. He was so close. It was the sorcerer. Merlin. Uther knew with every fiber of his body and besides, he had recognized the sound of the boy's voice. But for some reason, the fact made his pleasure skyrocket. Just the thought that there was someone watching him, someone who had the power to walk in and completely _dominate him, Gods._

Uther sunk into the tub as he spent into the water. It had been the best orgasm he'd had in a long while. And all at the thought of being dominated by a sorcerer. It was a fantasy he'd never had before. A few moments later he got out of the bath. Once he was dressed he walked to the servant's door and opened it. But just as he expected, the boy was long gone. He closed the door and got into bed. As he fell asleep he couldn't help but wonder if the boy had put him under a spell.

End of chapter

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed my favorite chapter so far. Finally, we start to see some Merlin/Uther. Let me know what you think! and as always, Thank you so very much for reading! and a special thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave me a review, you guys motivate me to keep on writing

-Milena


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here we go, Chapter 5, my longest chapter yet. I hope everyone enjoys reading,

and again thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing, you guys give me motivation!

Dialogue from the show (which I don't own because I was conned by a genie) is indicated in **Bold**

Enjoy! - Milena

Chapter 5

Merlin walked as fast as he could, almost running back to Gaius' chambers. His face was completely flushed. The pink even went down to his neck. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had bent down to look into the room through the keyhole, and he'd gasped at what he had seen. The king taking a bath. Naked. Of course, he reasoned, he didn't expect the king to bathe fully clothed, but knowing and seeing were two very different things. But the king hadn't just been taking a bath, he'd been pleasuring himself.

When Merlin saw this he quickly looked away, but for some damned reason, he had to look back. The sight of the king in such a vulnerable position was mesmerizing. This man had terrorized him his entire life, had killed hundreds of his kin, and here he was, no armor, no guards, no weapons, and no protection.

Merlin had the power to kill the man right then and there. And that piece of knowledge had impacted the young sorcerer in a way he'd never experienced before. It was incredibly arousing, as was obvious by the tenting of Merlin's pants. But along with the arousal was the shame. He shouldn't feel this way over the thought of killing a man. But he did. And when he finally reached his room and took himself in hand, the orgasm that followed was glorious.

 _Line break_

 _A day later (the next night)_

The very next day had been a slow one for Uther. Normally he liked his slow days. They offered him some time to himself. But not today, not after what had happened yesterday. Of course, he had fantasized about taking men to bed before, but in all of those scenarios, he had been the one dominating his partner. Never before had he thought about submitting to someone else. And to a sorcerer(!) of all things.

He was supposed to be watching the boy to find out if he was part of some conspiracy against Camelot, not watching him so he could fantasize about how the boy would tie him up, blindfolded and spread eagle and at the sorcerer's complete mercy. About how the boy would tease him, torture him, for hours upon hours until he finally begged for release. _Damn you, focus!_ He screamed at himself.

The slow day had left him with ample time to replay last night's events on repeat in his head. The only thing on his schedule was a dinner with Lady Helen. A dinner for which he was supposed to be preparing for at this moment. He could not allow embarrassment in front of such an esteemed guest of Camelot. And with that thought, he steeled himself and entered the dining hall where Lady Helen was waiting for him.

 _Line Break_

Uther and the Lady Helen had just finished dinner and were now onto their dessert when the lady broke the silence.

" **Will everyone be there**?" she questioned, referring to her performance that was scheduled during tomorrow's feast. Uther quickly thought of Morgana, and how he had had to force her into attendance. The girl had fought the last execution fiercely and did not support the festivities at all. But he was sure the girl would be there, if only to find a new way to spite him.

" **Who would dare to miss it?** " He replied. She followed by asking specifically about Arthur. He told the lady that his son would be there and at that, she looked pleased. Perhaps she was looking to be courted by him. A reasonable desire, he thought, Arthur was the prince after all. However, he would never allow it. Arthur would need to marry someone with a suitable class. But he paused at the lady's next statement.

" **Poor child."** Uther looked at her in question. She clarified, " **Poor child, it can't have been easy to grow up without a mother. That bond between mother and son, it's so hard to replace."** He narrowed his eyes at her. Lady Helen had never said such a thing before. But he nodded anyway.

" **Hasn't been easy."** It was true. Uther and Arthur had never really been close. Sometimes he wondered if he had failed in raising him.

" **I'm sure. Perhaps if you found someone? If you remarried?"** She laughed, " **I'm sure you'd have the pick of any lady in the kingdom."**

Remarried? Maybe. But he couldn't have. It took him many years to get over her death, and even now it still hurt. And besides, who would he have married? There was no one who piqued his interest. _Until yesterday_ a small devil whispered inside his head. He quickly dismissed the thought.

" **Well, perhaps I'll find love again,"** The devil voice inside his head once more whispering _Merlin_ , " **But I'm afraid it's too late to replace Arthur's mother."** Even saying the words made him cringe internally.

" **Yes, it's certainly too late for Arthur."** Lady Helen declared. And Uther couldn't help but feel as though a threat had been given.

 _Line Break_

 _Later on that night_

Merlin was walking back towards his room in a mixture of shock, anger, and frustration. There was a dragon underneath the castle. A dragon that had called to him. A dragon that claimed he had a 'great destiny'. Of course, he had always wanted to know why he had been born with his powers. The had always looked for a reason, a purpose. But this? This had to be some type of joke. Protect Arthur? The prat of a prince? The most arrogant man in the universe? He scoffed. _Great._

 _Line Break_

 _The next night (At the feast)_

The sound of horns interrupted the feast and announced his arrival. Uther walked to the front of the room and addressed his guests. " **We have enjoyed 20 years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honor of introducing the Lady Helen"**

Merlin's eyes were glued to the king. He was dressed in the finest clothing he had ever seen, but the most alluring thing was the crown on his head. The other night he had imagined subduing the king, a thought that still made him blush. But now, he didn't think he would mind submitting to him either. He looked away when the Lady Helen, or rather the imposter Lady Helen, walked onto the stage on the other side of the room.

Uther locked his eyes firmly directed towards Lady Helen. He would _not_ look at the person who was positioned to his right. The person who had been in his daydreams for two days now, despite all logic and reason. The boy who was probably planning to harm him or his kingdom. He instead focused on his guest who began to sing in the most enticing voice he had ever heard, even compared to her other performances. He noticed his eyes growing heavy with every passing note until everything went dark.

Merlin stared in shock at the room. The witch was putting everyone to sleep with her song. He covered his ears. The witch was looking directly at Prince Arthur, who was slumped in his chair in a deep sleep. She was going to kill him! His suspicions were confirmed when the sorceress took a dagger from her sleeve. He had to do something. He looked around and his eyes locked on the chandelier hanging directly above the witch. With a flash of his eyes, the chandelier came down and crushed the witch beneath it.

The people began to stir, looking around in confusion. Uther slowly came to. The first thing he saw was the witch from earlier this week who had threatened his son after he had executed hers. She was wearing the dress of Lady Helen. An imposter! He was alarmed for a second before he realized that she was crushed under a chandelier. Had it been by chance? He turned to Arthur to make sure his son was alright.

Merlin gasped when the witch lifted her arm and threw the dagger towards Arthur. The king and his son were still in a daze and couldn't react in time. Uther could only look on as the knife soared towards his son. Merlin slowed down time once more, running towards the Prince. He grabbed him and pulled him out of the way, before time sped up and the dagger slammed into the Prince's chair, right where his heart would've been.

Uther stared in shock at the sorcerer boy. He had just saved his son. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He walked towards Arthur and Merlin, looking at the latter in shock.

" **You saved my boy's life,"** he voiced. " **A debt must be repaid.** " Uther didn't know where that had come from, but it was true. The boy had saved his son's life and he would be rewarded. And perhaps with this, he could find a way to learn more about the abnormal sorcerer, who instead of killing his son, saved him. Of course, it could've been planned. Uther doubted it, but he couldn't rule anything out yet.

" **Oh, well.."** The boy shook his head, looking towards the floor. Perhaps too afraid of being addressed directly by the man who could have him killed.

" **Don't be so modest,"** He urged, " **You shall be rewarded."** _Rewarded a position in my bed_ the intrusive thought came to him. He banished the thought.

" **Honestly, you don't have to, your highness."** And gods did that do something to him. Someone so powerful, referring to him by his title. At least this time the scene that played out in his head was a little more usual, with him in control. He came back to reality. Was this boy still denying him?

" **No absolutely,"** He declared, " **This merits something quite special."** The devil inside his head kept urging him to make the boy his bed servant. But he would never do such a thing. He was against slavery of any kind after all. _Unless of course, it's the boy who wants me as his slave_. Once more he banished the thought.

" **Well,..."** The boy finally nodded his consent.

" **You shall be awarded a position in the royal household."** Uther finally took notice of his son. His son who had yet to notice magic in his midst. An idea was forming in his head.

" **You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant."** And then he quickly walked away, regretting his words almost immediately. The regret was compounded at the sound of Arthur complaining behind him, " _ **Father!"**_ This would serve as a necessary test for his son. Let him see how long it would take him to notice the boy and his powers. But he couldn't help but wish he had made the boy his own manservant instead. _Oh, how I wish I had been selfish with you boy._

End of chapter

A/N: Goodness, another chapter over. Thank you all for reading! Please feel free to review, and stay tuned for Chapter 6! - Milena


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Chapter 6! This is the chapter where things start to deviate from the canon plot.

Dialogue taken from the show, which is not mine, is indicated in **Bold**.

PS: The story will eventually develop into Versatile!Merlin and Versatile!Uther

Enjoy the Chapter!

Chapter 6:

" **Ready?** " Prince Arthur called out to his manservant.

" **Would it make any difference if I said no?** " Merlin replied. He couldn't believe his luck. Of course there was a tournament coming up only a few days after his instatement as Prince Prat's servant. And of course said prince deemed it necessary to dress Merlin up in mail and go at his with his sword for "practice" on his very first day in the prat's employ.

" **Not really."** The prince swung his weapon around in a bunch of fancy maneuvers while Merlin put on his helmet and raised his shield. Then the prince started his assault.

" **Body,"** _Swing,_ " **Shield,"** _Swing,_ " **Body,"** _Swing,_ " **Shield,"** _Swing,_ " **Head,"**

" **Head?!"** _Clang, thump, "_ **Oww."**

 _Line break_

Uther rolled his eyes as he watched his son hit the poor servant over the head once more, effectively knocking the boy to the ground. Arthur seemed to have it in for the boy. His son didn't even know how much danger he was in. The sorcerer could fight back at any moment. However, it didn't seem likely considering how many things the boy had put up with so far. He sighed. The investigation into the boy had come to a standstill. He hadn't been seen doing anything out of the ordinary and had been acting like a completely normal servant. Uther almost questioned if he had actually seen the boy use magic. _Almost_.

And Arthur wasn't faring any better with his makeshift 'test'. A future king needed to be able to spot a magic user, but it seemed that Arthur was too blinded by his arrogance. _This is the exact thing I was afraid of_. He sighed again. Uther was sure that the boy would soon show his true colors. Magic, after all, never stayed hidden for long. And as soon as he proved himself to be an enemy of Camelot Uther would finally be able to get rid of the horrid infatuation that had been plaguing him for days. He nodded to himself and then walked off. He had a tournament to start.

 _Line Break_

Merlin struggled to put the armor on the prince. The tournament would be starting soon and he still hadn't finished with Prince Arthur's armor.

" **You do know the tournament starts today?** " Arthur asked him. As if he wasn't aware that this was Merlin's first time ever handling any type of armor (which it was).

" **Yes, sire.** " He nodded. A few minutes and many eye rolls later, the Prince was finally ready and he walked away.

" **That went well,"** Merlin said to himself sarcastically.

 _Line Break_

That night after the fighting was done and he had spoken to each individual knight, the king retired to his chambers. Uther was sitting by the fire drinking wine from his goblet, his crown discarded on a nearby table, waiting for the sleeping draught he had ordered to be brought from Gaius to arrive. Most nights were insignificant, normal days. But today was not one of them. Anxiety troubled both Uther the king and Uther the father. Yes, these were the worst nights.

He was worried about his son. There were few who could compete with Arthur when it came to sword fighting. But a new knight had surfaced during the tournament; Sir Valiant. A formidable opponent. One who might just defeat Arthur. In the knight's own words " **To lose is to be disgraced**." Words he wholeheartedly agreed with. If Arthur were to lose it would be a complete disaster. Oh, how Uther wished sometimes that things were different. He wished sometimes that he wasn't king. That he wasn't forced to put such a pressure on his young one, slowly, bit by bit alienating himself from his son. Gradually pushing the boy to the point where he would hate his father.

But alas he was king. And he had to teach Arthur that he'd never be satisfied because there would always be room for improvement. He had to teach Arthur that losing was a humiliation that no ruler could endure. If he lost to another knight, who's to say said knight would not then assume he was a better man than his future king. Who's to say said knight would not start an uprising against his future king. No, defeat was not acceptable. But it didn't stop him from wishing. And now a new threat loomed over the horizon. A sorcerer, with an unknown agenda. Just then a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Gaius.

"Enter," He called out softly. He heard the door open and a soft voice that definitely wasn't Gaius address him.

"I've brought your sleeping drought, sire. Gaius was busy in the lower town, so he sent me instead." Uther looked up in shock at the very person he had been thinking of.

"Merlin." He cringed as the boy stumbled, no doubt surprised that Uther knew his name. He rarely ever referred to servants by their names. He tried to cover it up by putting out his hand for the drought. The physical contact that occurred when the boy put the small bottle in his hand set his heart racing. Uther caught Merlin's line of sight and for a few infinite seconds, they were lost in each other's eyes.

The moment ended when Merlin bowed and left without waiting to be dismissed. _Although,_ Uther pondered quietly, _I think I'll forgive him just this once._ That night the king went to sleep troubled by worry and haunted by deep blue eyes that would, on occasion, turn gold.

 _Line Break_

The next morning Merlin was walking to the armory to pick up Arthur's armor for the second day of the tournament. He bumped into a few people on the way, as he was distracted. Distractions of this sort weren't new to Merlin. Back in Ealdor, he had been distracted by a few of the other boys, of which Will was one. He had always known that he liked men more than women, and he had grown used to admiring from afar. There were times when he cursed this as seemed the magic wasn't enough, he had to be different in every way.

But this. This was different. This wasn't just any man. This was Uther Pendragon. The man who had started the Purge, the one who had made magic illegal, the one who Merlin should hate with every fiber of his soul but by god the most attractive man in Camelot. For the past few days, Merlin had been pestered by daydreams of him and the king in various obscene scenarios. But the one fantasy that kept repeating itself over and over, was the thought of him using his magic on the king. And Merlin was oh so tempted to do so. To see how the king would react to being used in such a way.

He shivered despite the warmth. He had to stay in control. But how could he after last night, when he found out that the king actually knew his name. The man had looked up at him in shock. And at the moment of physical contact, his magic surged, wanting to be used on the man before him. He had managed to just barely keep it under control. And when they stared into each other's eyes…

Merlin shook himself when he realized he had arrived at the armory. _Focus_. As he attempted to pick up all of the prince's armor, he heard a concerning sound. The hissing of a snake. Quickly Merlin dropped the armor back onto the table and looked around. After a few moments, he shook his head. The prince must've hit him harder than he thought if he was imagining the sound of snakes. But before he could turn back to His royal prat's armor, his eyes caught on something. A yellow shield with green snakes painted on it. That's where the sound was coming from.

He walked closer and knelt down before the shield to get a better look. He jumped when the snakes blinked at him. Merlin reached out to touch the shield when all of a sudden there was a sword at his neck. He looked up the sword to see Sir Valiant standing next to him. He slowly got to his feet, the sword following his movement.

" **Can I help you with something boy?"** The knight hissed at him. Merlin couldn't help but be reminded of the snakes.

" **Nope, I'm good,** " he nervously laughed, " **I-I was just gathering my master's armor.** "

" **Then you'd best be on your way.** " The knight leered at him.

" **Right, yeah.** " He picked up the prince's armor as fast as he could. The way the knight was standing he had to squeeze past him to make it to the door. But before he could get there he was tripped when the knight smacked him on the arse with his sword. He almost went down but regained his balance. He ran out of the room, but not before he heard the knight call out after him.

"I would watch out boy, this could be a dangerous place. Such a pretty arse might catch someone's eye." Merlin ran away to the sound of Sir Valiant's laughs.

End of chapter

A/N: Thanks so much for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here's Chapter 7, hope you enjoy reading! This chapter will be diverging even more from the canon plot.

Dialogue and spells taken from the show (which I don't own) are indicated in **Bold**.

Enjoy! - Milena

Chapter 7:

Uther looked on from the stands with a smile on his face. It was the second day of the tournament and Arthur was up first. His son looked a lot less disheveled than yesterday, and he couldn't help but wonder if the sorcerer boy had improved his armor skills or if Arthur had been dressed by another servant today. He pushed the boy and all the emotions that came along with him to the farthest corner of his mind. He would have to do something about the boy, and soon, but not today. The crowd went wild when their prince walked into the arena. And Uther struggled to cover his anxiety with a false air of excitement. It wouldn't do for the people to see their king nervous. And then the fighting began.

 _Line Break_

Merlin watched the fighting from around the corner, yelling his support when Arthur was in the arena, and controlling his fear every time Knight Valiant savagely defeated his opponent. He was certainly a violent man, and his threats from this morning echoed in his head. He winced when the knight's current opponent was left unconscious on the floor of the arena after Valiant was done with him. He watched Gaius walk onto the field to check that the knight was still alive. Two guards carried the knight away to the physician's chambers.

 _Line Break_

 _That night_

" **How is he**?" Merlin asked the physician. He had just helped Prince Arthur to bed after a long day of fighting.

" **It's most odd."** Gaius was crouched down over the knight, looking at his neck. " **Look at this,"** He beckoned his ward over. " **See these two small wounds,** " he said pointing at the patient's neck, " **Looks like a snake bite.** "

" **How could he have been bitten by a snake? He was injured in a sword fight."** Merlin questioned. It couldn't be. He had seen the knight go down himself. There couldn't have been any snakes around.

" **Yet the symptoms are consistent with poisoning; slow pulse, fever, paralysis…"** Gaius listed off.

" **Can you heal him?"** Merlin asked hopefully.

" **Well if it is a snake bite I'll have to extract venom from the snake that bit him to make an antidote"** Gaius got up to get a washcloth from the other side of the room. The knight was burning up. Maybe a cool cloth to the forehead would help. But Merlin could see the look of dread on his mentor's face.

" **What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?"** He asked the man, already knowing the answer.

Gaius stopped and looked at him, " **Then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for him. He's going to die."**

No, that couldn't happen. They had to find out how the knight had been bitten. How did snakes get into the arena? _Valiant_. The knight had been fighting Valiant when he was injured. Valiant, the knight with snakes on his shield. Snakes that just so happen to hiss and blink. Merlin walked out of Gaius' chambers, the old man too busy with his patient to notice.

 _Line break_

Merlin laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Valiant was using magic to make the snakes on his shield come to life. He had gone to spy on the knight and had seen him feeding the snakes rats. He had seen it with his own eyes. But what could he do? Gaius was right. He was just a servant. What could he do against a knight? If he accused Valiant, the court would probably punish him instead, for the audacity to stand up to a knight.

The King would believe another knight but not him. But how could he alert the king without letting him know the message was from a servant? He sighed. He reached out towards his night table to blow out his candle when across the room he spotted some parchment paper. Merlin smirked. He had an idea.

 _Line break_

Uther was walking towards his chambers after a dinner with the remaining knights of the tournament. He had never before seen his son so nervous. And that made him even more fearful for his son. If Arthur went into the arena doubting himself he would lose. He finally reached his rooms. As soon as the doors were closed he took off his crown and threw the wretched thing across the room. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Tomorrow would be the last day of the tournament.

He walked to his bedside table to pour himself a cup of wine when he froze. There was a piece of paper that had been slid under the servant's entrance. _A letter from a servant?_ He laughed softly. Uther walked over and lifted the letter from the floor. He was amused until he read the contents of the letter.

 _Your majesty,_

 _Knight Valiant is using magic to win the tournament. He is making the snakes on his shield come to life to kill his opponents. The Prince is in danger!_

Oh, he'd done it now. Uther grit his teeth in rage. A sorcerer accusing a knight of using magic. He had no doubts that the letter was written by Merlin. He was the only person in Camelot with _the audacity_. So this was his endgame. Spreading suspicion and disorder in his city, and his first target was Knight Valiant.

Uther stormed out of his chambers headed towards Valiant's rooms. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do about the situation, but he knew he had to do something. He had let the boy have free reign since his discovery because he hadn't been sure what the boy was up to. Now that he knew, however, that freedom was over. If he so much as touched one of his knights, Uther would have him whipped and burned before he could open his mouth to claim innocence.

 _Line Break_

Merlin was hiding behind a column, waiting for Valiant to leave his room. He needed to get venom from one of the snakes so that Gaius could cure the dying knight. Then the knight could go to the king and relay what had actually happened. He winced when he remembered the note he had left for the king earlier. What had possessed him to do such a thing? But Merlin stuck with his decision. The king was the only one who could disqualify the knight from the tournament. _Although if Valiant is caught using magic, being disqualified will be the least of his worries._

When the door to Valiant's room opened, Merlin pressed himself as much as he could to the stone of the column. He heard the knight walk away and then waited a few minutes. When he could no longer hear footsteps he snuck out from his hiding place. Merlin went up to the door and pulled. Locked tight. He looked around to make sure he was alone and then looked back at the lock in determination.

" **Aliese** " His eyes flashed gold and the door was unlocked. Merlin opened the door, flinching at the creaking sound. He went inside and quickly closed the door behind him. He spotted the shield on a chair across the room. He looked around for a weapon and noticed a sword on a nearby table. As he picked it up Merlin almost wanted to thank Prince Arthur for all the practice. _Almost._

He approached the shield with the sword outstretched and lightly tapped the shield with it. He looked away in alarm at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. He looked around for a hiding place when he heard hissing from behind him. The snakes. They lunged at him but he dogged, swinging the sword down on one of the snakes, cutting off its head. He grabbed the snakehead and practically ran out of the room.

"You!" Merlin froze in the middle of the hallway when he heard someone scream at him from behind. He turned around. _Oh shit._ It was the King. He was storming towards him, looking like the very definition of rage. And he was holding Merlin's note in his hand.

 _End of chapter_

A/N: Hope you loved this new chapter. Let me know what you think! - Milena


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yay! Another chapter out. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: This chapter contains the start of a non-con scene at the end but not between Uther and Merlin, So beware

Enjoy! - Milena

Chapter 8:

Uther stormed down the hallway towards the sorcerer. The boy tried to hide whatever was in his hand behind his back but the king wasn't having it. He held up the servant's note.

"Accusing a knight of using sorcery, breaking and entering a knight's room without permission, stealing, as I'm sure whatever you have in your hand does not belong to you, boy." The king shouted in Merlin's face.

Uther watched the boy cower before him, wincing at the mention of his crimes. If he hadn't been so enraged he would have pondered why someone with magic would be so scared when the boy could easily overpower him with his powers. Not even the audible gulp the boy gave was enough to appease him this time.

"Your hands, boy. Show me what you're hiding behind your back." He commanded.

"S-sire, I-"

" _Now._ Do not make me repeat myself."

The boy gulped again and then brought his hand out from behind his back. What the sorcerer was holding was enough to give him pause. He stared at the snakehead in the boy's hand for a few moments. The head of a snake. A type of snake he had never seen before. A snake with an uncanny resemblance to the snakes on Valiant's shield. _Damnation_.

"What is this?" He looked into the servant's eyes, looking for any inkling of deception.

"It's from Valiant's shield, my lord." The boy spoke in such a tiny voice that Uther could barely hear him.

"Show me." He gestured to Valiant's room. Merlin nodded quickly and led the way into the knight's rooms. The boy then signaled towards the shield that was propped up on a chair in the corner of the room. The king went to step towards the damned thing when he felt Merlin grab him by his shirt.

"Be careful, sire." Uther stared at the boy who dared to touch his king without permission, but the look of concern on the boy's face was enough to forgive the fault. The king stared into Merlin's eyes, and once again they were lost in each other. His attention was brought away from the boy, however, at the sound of hissing snakes. He turned towards the shield in shock. Three snakes had come to life off the shield and lunged for them. The king grabbed the servant and quickly left the room, slamming the door behind them.

They stood there with their backs against the door for a moment, trying to regain their breath. Uther's emotions were in turmoil. In other circumstances he probably would've blamed the boy for the snakes, thinking that he made them come alive with his own magic to accuse Valiant. But as it were, the king had been staring into the boy's eyes before the snakes came to life. And besides, the boy had gone to Valiant's rooms in secret.

"You were trying to get proof to strengthen your accusation?" He asked the sorcerer.

The boy hesitated before answering, "Not exactly, sire. The knight Valiant was fighting is dying from the snake's bite. I was going to bring the head to Gaius so he can make an antidote. If the knight recovers then he can testify that Sir Valiant was using magic."

Uther narrowed his eyes at the servant. "And why would you care?"

Merlin looked at him in shock, "There's a man dying right now."

The king nodded, realizing the situation. He could analyze the boy's motives later. "Alright, take this to Gaius," He unsheathed his sword, "I'll take care of Valiant. He should still be near the dining hall." And so they split up.

 _Line break_

Merlin walked as fast as he could towards Gaius' chambers with the snake's head in his hand, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. To say that he was anxious would be an understatement. How did the king know it was him who wrote the note? But more than that he was surprised. Uther had believed him, of course along with some proof. And now he was going to find Valiant and arrest him.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, someone grabbed Merlin by his neckerchief and pulled at him, causing him to drop the snakehead in shock. He was dragged into a nearby room and thrown against a wall. He heard the soft click of a lock. Merlin tried to get up, but a punch to the stomach put a stop to that. Then Merlin heard a voice he never wanted to hear again.

"Well hello there, pretty little boy," Sir Valiant sneered down at him, "I heard the king was looking for me. And a little snake told me it was all _your_ fault."

The knight advanced towards him, while Merlin tried and failed to get back up on his feet. Valiant grabbed him by the hair and pulled him upwards. Then Merlin felt a hand grab his ass and squeeze.

"It's time someone put you back in your place, pretty little boy."

End of Chapter

A/N: Oh no! What will happen next? Chapter 9 will be out soon with all of our answers. Hope you liked reading and feel free to tell me what you think! -Milena


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Here's the long awaited chapter 9! This is where things really diverge from canon Merlin plot (which I don't own),

and we start to see a connection between Uther and Merlin. I hope you all enjoy! -Milena

Chapter 9:

Uther walked back towards Valiant's rooms. He had checked everywhere near the dining hall but to no avail. It seemed that the knight hadn't been seen for the last hour. And if he wasn't near the dining hall and he wasn't in his rooms then Uther was at a loss as to where he would be.

The king arrived at Valiant's chambers but they were empty. He sighed. Perhaps he would go check on the knight who had been suffering from the snake bite. Merlin should've arrived with the snakehead a while ago, which meant that hopefully, Gaius had already administered an antidote.

He was halfway to the physician's rooms when he froze. There in front of him, only a few steps away, lay the snakehead that Merlin was supposed to be carrying. He went to pick it up when he heard a commotion in a nearby room. He unsheathed his sword and slowly approached.

Uther went to open the door but it was locked. Maybe it was nothing? He went to pick up the snakehead again. It was urgent that it get to Gaius as quickly as possible. But as he went to walk away he heard a sound he never wanted to hear again. The sound of Merlin screaming for help.

His vision went red with rage. Someone was hurting Merlin. Without a second thought, he slammed open the door with his shoulder, thanking his lucky stars that the doors were thinner and older in this part of the castle. In the middle of the room, Valiant had bent an unconscious Merlin over a table and was running his hands over the sorcerer's body. Merlin had what looked like a bleeding wound on his head, no doubt from Valiant trying to shut him up.

Without a second thought Uther took his sword and ran the sorry excuse for a knight through, and Valiant collapsed on the floor, dead. Uther backed away from the body. _Shit_. He had just killed a knight. Over a servant. How would the council react to this?

 _The other knight._ Merlin had mentioned that if the other knight recovered then he'll be able to testify that Valiant was using magic. Which would show the council that their king didn't just murder a knight without cause. Because in their eyes Valiant raping Merlin would not be a just cause. But Uther couldn't lie to himself. He may tell the council this was a matter of illegal magic, but if it were then he would've killed Merlin too. No, Uther was well aware of the real reason he had killed Valiant.

He went out into the hallway and picked up the snakehead, which he put in his pocket. Then he picked Merlin up and draped him over his shoulder. Uther frowned at how light he was. A boy of his age should've been eating more. The king left Valiant's body on the floor. It would be handled once Merlin had been taken care of. He hoped he had gotten there in time to stop the knight. Uther shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to the boy if he hadn't heard his cry. He walked off as fast as possible, hoping that no one would see the king running towards the physician's chambers.

 _Line Break_

The first thing Merlin remembered as he was waking up was the image of Valiant sneering at him. He launched himself into a sitting position and then immediately regretted it when a pounding headache assaulted him.

"Woah, hey," a familiar voice called out to him, "You're safe now. You should lay down and rest."

Merlin looked up in shock at the king. He was in Gaius' chambers but the old man was nowhere to be seen. His Majesty was looking down at him with a look he had never seen before. It was softer than all the other times he'd seen the man. Almost as relaxed as when he was in the bathtub... And that was a thought he definitely shouldn't have been thinking at this moment.

"What happened to Valiant?" Merlin asked after a few moments.

Uther looked away from the boy before answering, "He's dead. And the knight he injured has recovered fully. He will be testifying in front of the court today, as will I, to confirm that Valiant was using magic to win the tournament."

"Oh," Merlin said simply. He laid back down and closed his eyes. He opened them again when he felt the king caress his face softly.

"You did well today Merlin. You saved my son again, and this time almost at the expense of your own life and virtue."

Merlin smiled at his king. "I am a simple peasant, your majesty. I do not have virtue. I was only doing my job as physician's apprentice in trying to save the prince and the injured knight."

Uther frowned at that. Yes, it was true that peasants technically didn't have virtue, but that didn't mean they were allowed to be raped. Although many of his court members would disagree with that opinion.

"Well, I only came to make sure you were doing better. Gaius stepped out for a moment to bring up some water."

"You didn't need to, sire," Merlin responded humbly.

"Of course I did," Uther said forcefully, "I'm the one who put you in danger by making you my son's manservant."

And Merlin didn't have anything to say to that so he kept silent.

"That's the second time you've saved my son and you haven't even been here for a full fortnight."

Merlin shrugged. Uther scoffed softly. "You're so modest." The king said, once again touching his face softly. Merlin closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. Who knew that such rough hands could be so gentle. He looked up at the king and they stared into each other's eyes. It seemed that they did that a lot. Whenever it happened, everything else faded away into nothingness.

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door and a servant poking his head into the room. Uther moved his hand away from his face and he mourned the loss.

"Sire, your presence has been requested by the court."

Uther nodded and the servant left. He turned towards Merlin and sighed. "Duty calls."

"Hmph," Merlin huffed, already missing the king's soft caresses, "You could always ignore duty and stay here."

The king laughed at that. And wasn't that a joy. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed genuinely. "Alas, I cannot."

Uther nodded to Merlin, acknowledging him in thanks, and then left to perform his kingly obligations once more. And for the first time, Uther wished someone else was king.

End of chapter

A/N: Eeeeee aren't they so adorable together! But Uther still hasn't made a decision about Merlin's magic. What will happen next?

I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. As always, feel free to tell me what you think. And thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, you guys are awesome! -Milena


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: In which Merlin has a dirty dream and Uther might have found a solution to his predicament.

I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter - Milena

Chapter 10:

"Father, you're here." Uther watched his son breathe out in relief as he walked into the room. No doubt he had been attempting to calm the rowdy councilmen.

"The body of a knight was found in an empty guest room early this morning. It was Knight Valiant." Arthur explained the situation. It seemed that no one saw him or Merlin near Valiant's chambers. Maybe that was a good thing?

"Yes, Arthur, I am well aware since I'm the one that killed him." He tried to hide the anger that plagued him at the sound Valiant's name. Valiant was no knight. He was a pathetic man, and Uther would be glad when his name was erased from everyone's memory.

"You did?" Arthur couldn't hide his shock and neither could the rest of the council. Uther rose a hand to quiet the outcries of his nobles.

"Yes, I killed Valiant last night when I found him using magic on his shield." He looked at his son, "He was going to attempt to use magic to try to kill you during the tournament."

And at that, the council went quiet. Everyone knew the king's stance on magic. Although it seemed a certain blue-eyed servant had muddied Uther's opinion on magic. But his council members didn't know that so he barreled through the meeting without mentioning Valiant again. Someone would make sure his body was burned and his remains buried in an unmarked grave. Uther couldn't help but think of Merlin suffering the same fate. He winced at the thought and immediately asked himself what was wrong with him.

He had never hesitated to sentence a sorcerer to death before. He had to keep Camelot safe. No one individual could have that much power without becoming corrupt. But maybe Merlin was an exception? If only there was a way to interrogate the boy while making sure he was telling the truth.

 _Line break_

Merlin looked up at the ceiling of his mentor's chambers, slowly contemplating his current situation. When his mother had sent him here she had told him to keep his head down and stay invisible. Yet not even two weeks into his stay he had been forced into a position in the royal household and the king had taken notice of him several times. He sighed. He was never really good at keeping himself hidden. His tendency to speak his mind had never before gotten him into so much trouble as it had now. Although he wondered if he was really in trouble or not. Yes, he had put himself in the spotlight, but maybe he could hide in plain sight.

Another thing Merlin found himself reconsidering was his opinion of the king. When he had first walked into Camelot's courtyard only to witness his first execution, he was simultaneously terrified of and angry at the man who dared to kill his kin. For the first time, he had hated someone with all of his being. But now? Now Merlin just felt confused. He had seen the king now in several situations. Yes, it seemed he thought the nobility was more worthy than the peasantry, but the man did save him from being abused by one of his knights. He had killed one of his knights for him. And he was a caring father too. Not in the traditional sense, no, but he did care about his son's safety.

Merlin wondered if the man he had seen that first day in Camelot had been a cover-up for the sake of his people. Maybe public Uther and private Uther were not one and the same. It certainly seemed like a totally different man that had looked into his eyes earlier. Merlin fell asleep, remembering the feel of the king's light caresses.

 _Line break_

"You wished to speak with me privately, father?"

Uther had dismissed the council but had held his son back. He had decided that Arthur should know about what Valiant had done to Merlin. If anything he hoped his son would take it easy on the boy while he recovered.

"Yes, I wish to tell you the exact circumstance in which I killed Valiant since your manservant Merlin was involved."

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, confused. Merlin hadn't shown up this morning but he hadn't gone looking for him since he had been preoccupied with the discovery of Valiant's body.

Uther nodded, "After dinner last night I went to my chambers..." he started to recount the events of last night, leaving out the part of Merlin's magic.

"He left a note?" His son asked incredulously, "Accusing Valiant of sorcery? Is he mad?"

Uther hummed in agreement, "It was a good thing he was holding one of the snake's heads when I found him, or else I probably would've arrested him."

The king continued to recount but hesitated when it came to the very moment he had killed Valiant. "I heard Merlin scream for a room nearby. Valiant was, attempting to force himself on the boy."

"That bastard." Uther was a little shocked at the anger on his son's face. He thought Arthur had a strong dislike of the boy. Perhaps he was wrong.

"Bastard, indeed. Thankfully I arrived in time to save the boy from such a fate." He looked at his son, "He's with Gaius recovering, I'd suggest you take it easy on him Arthur."

"Of course, my lord." Arthur went to leave but before he reached the door he turned back. "Father, have the vaults been checked?"

"The vaults?" Uther questions.

"Well I doubt Valiant gained access, but perhaps they should be checked anyway?"

Uther nodded in agreement. "A very wise suggestion, my boy. You're starting to think like a leader."

Arthur shook his head, "I should hope not."

Uther hid his smile as his son left the room. Well if anyone was going to check the vaults, it was going to be him. He didn't trust anyone else. Uther left the courtroom and made his way down towards the vaults.

 _Line break_

"Well, well, what do we have here." Merlin heard his own voice call out. He could feel his body step forward without his control. He could only watch, feel, listen. He had no control over his body. It should have been disconcerting, but he was soon distracted. The sound of muffled moans and whimpers washed over him in a wave of heat that ran straight to his cock.

Merlin's body stepped forward towards the bed again and he finally noticed what was in front of him. And he almost came in his pants. King Uther was naked on the bed, on his back, arms strapped to the headboard, legs up in the air, each tied to a corresponding bedpost. A ball gag was keeping him from calling out. But his restraints weren't normal ropes. They were gold strings of magic, his magic. Merlin could perceive the smell of sex from where he was standing.

"The king of Camelot all trussed up for me. How does it feel?" He put his hand on the top of Uther's leg and ran it down towards his taint, "To have a sorcerer restrain you with his magic? To not be able to call your guards for protection?"

Merlin teased his hole with one finger, reveling in the shudders that racked the king's body, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you love this." And with that his eyes flashed gold, his magic relaxing the king, making him wet. All of a sudden he wanted to hear Uther's voice. Another flash and the gag was gone.

"Please," The sweet sound of the King begging was absolutely euphoric.

"Please, what?" At that Merlin bent down and licked a stripe over Uther's wet pucker.

"Please, Merlin wake up."

"What?" Then Merlin opened his eyes in confusion. A dream?

Guias' voice called out to him, "Oh good, you're awake. You gave me quite a scare there, Merlin."

Merlin hummed in agreement and turned the other way on his cot, not wanting his guardian to see just how red his face was. My goddess that had been hot. He wondered if there really was a spell to make a man wet. He shook his head, trying to stop his line of thought. It's not like he would ever need such a spell.

 _Line break_

Uther checked off the last object on the second to last section in the vaults. Inspecting the vaults was a grueling process, but it was worth it. Magical objects were dangerous and he didn't want them falling into the wrong hands. He continued onto the next list and shelf but froze at the first item on the list. _A truth potion_. Uther had wondered if there was a way to make sure that Merlin would tell the truth if he was interrogated.

 _When_ not _if_ he was interrogated. Uther had no intentions of letting a sorcerer free to reign terror on his city. This had gone on for far too long. He quickly checked the item's box on the checklist and pocketed the potion. Now all he had to do was find a way to restrain the boy and slip him the potion. Uther realized the irony of using magic to interrogate a magic user, but when it came to magic, the ends always justified the means.

End of chapter

A/N: I hope everyone liked this new chapter. Tell me what you think! - Milena


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: In which Uther invites Merlin to have dinner with him, and there's a confrontation.

I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! - Milena

Chapter 11:

Later that night Merlin was helping Gaius prepare dinner. Gaius had reluctantly let him start walking about again after much prodding. He had already been laying down for an entire day and he was getting restless, especially after the dream he had had earlier, which never ceased to turn his face red. They cooked dinner otherwise silently despite a few comments from Gaius about the seriousness of head injuries. They were about to sit down when they were startled by the King's manservant knocking on the door.

"The King has requested that Merlin accompany him tonight for dinner in his chambers." Merlin and Gaius exchanged worried looks. Merlin had reason to be concerned after all. He had had a few moments with the king, but he was still the king. A king who hated magic. The servant left and Gaius took the opportunity to express his suspicions.

"Why would the king summon you to dinner?"

"Maybe he wanted to thank me for helping catch Valiant?" He shrugged. Gaius gave him his 'I don't believe that' hum.

"Let us hope." And with that Merlin was out the door, leaving his worried mentor behind.

 _Line break_

Uther stood in front of the small table at the side of his room. He had strategically placed the wine jug and cups there, as well as the truth potion and a pair of cuffs. The cuffs were cold iron, to stop the boy from using magic. Uther for some reason had a hard time bringing himself to use iron on the boy, to damage his skin in such a way. But it was all for his own safety.

Throughout the rest of the day, he wondered whether this was the right choice. He was playing with fire, confronting the sorcerer this way. He should just have his guards take him away. But he needed to know why. Why would someone with magic save his son twice? What was his motive? He needed to know Merlin's story.

Besides that, he needed to know if the boy had placed a love spell on him, for surely these feelings weren't his. During the day he constantly thought of the boy, of his smooth untouched skin, his long neck hidden by that blasted neckerchief. Those eyes, holy hell, _those eyes_. It seemed as if they knew his soul every time he caught their gaze. And at night he was restless. Plagued by dreams of the boy performing all manner of acts upon him with his magic. Uther shuddered, sickened with himself at his line of thought. This was a threat to the kingdom that he was daydreaming about. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Merlin.

The chase was on.

 _Line break_

"Sire?" Merlin peaked his head in through the door and then slid into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Bar the door." He froze at the sound of the king's voice. He almost sounded angry, which didn't bode well for Merlin. His worries were washed away when the king turned to him with a soft look on his face.

"No worries," The king motioned for him to come closer, "I only want to be sure we won't be disturbed."

Merlin nodded in understanding. Dinner had been served on a table that had been moved to the middle of the room. It was a lot smaller than the table in the dining hall, most likely made for more intimacy. And at the thought of intimacy, a slight blush appeared on Merlin's face. After a few minutes of eating, the king finally broke the peaceful silence with a slight smirk.

"It would please me to know more about our two-time hero." And the blush was back.

"Oh please, sire, I'm just a servant." Merlin dismissed the compliment. The king didn't say anything in response, he just stared at Merlin until he realized that he hadn't answered the question.

"Um, well, I wasn't born in Camelot." Merlin gave while he picked at the potatoes on his plate. I was the first thing of interest he could think of that wasn't his magic.

"Really?" The king seemed to be showing a lot of interest in a servant than what seemed to be normal. That fact didn't escape his attention but he dismissed his gut feeling of concern.

"Yes, I was born in Ealdor, sire."

The king didn't quite manage to hide the sudden look of anger on his face. "Ealdor? That's in Essetir isn't it? I didn't realize you were one of King Lot's citizens."

Merlin scoffed, "Yes, it's unfortunately true. I was born in the lands of that rat of a king."

The king looked shocked at the statement, "I don't think I've seen such a look of disdain on your face before."

"Well, you haven't exactly known me for a long time, my lord." Merlin smiled.

The king laughed at that and Merlin was surprised at how much he loved the sound. "Very true. Well, I do have one question for you, Merlin."

He raised an eyebrow at the king in question. "As a reward for your recent services to the crown, if you could have anything, anything at all, what would you want?"

Merlin thought about it for a short bit before answering, "473 gold coins sire."

"That's a very specific amount of gold coins." The king responded in question.

"It's just enough to buy a new mattress for my mum. She still lives in Ealdor and her current wooden bed has been causing her back pains for years. Now that I'm not there to help around the house, things will be harder for her. It would ease my worries to know she has a nice mattress to sleep on."

The king stared at him in what seemed to be utter shock, although Merlin didn't know why he was so surprised. "But what about you? There must be something that _you_ want, just for yourself."

Merlin couldn't help but think of a world where he'd be free to use his magic. Where he didn't have to hide and he could just be himself without worrying about being put to death by the man sitting in front of him.

"There is something I want sire, I want it more than anything. But I'm afraid it will never come to pass." Merlin reached for his cup of wine, only to realize that one hadn't been set out.

"Would you like some wine?" The king offered, gesturing at a table on the other side of the room where a wine jug had been placed. Although Merlin wondered at what incompetent servant had thought up that inconvenience. He stood up to pour himself and the king some wine but sat back down when the king beat him to the table.

"No, no, I can pour our wine, please I insist." Merlin wondered at the sudden behavior change in the king. He was certainly acting strangely.

"Very well, thank you sire."

 _Line break_

Uther stood in front of the wine table, with his back to Merlin. As he poured the truth potion into the boy's cup his mind was swirling with new revelations. The boy had been born in Essetir. What were the chances that he was a spy for King Lot? He had seemed to feel disgusted at Lot but that wasn't really so significant. Uther was sure he had knights and nobles that hated him. That didn't stop them from following his orders.

He finished pouring the potion into Merlin's wine and picked up the cuffs, hiding them so Merlin wouldn't see them while he turned towards the boy. Uther put a slight smile on his face. It wouldn't do for Merlin to get nervous before he had cuffed him. He placed the cup in front of the sorcerer and sat on the edge of the table so he would be close enough to snap the cuffs on after Merlin had drunk the whole thing.

"A toast," Uther raised his cup, "To Camelot."

The boy smiled softly and raised his cup before downing the whole thing. Without hesitating, Uther whipped out the cuffs and slammed one cuff onto the chair and the other cuff on the hand that was raised. Merlin dropped his cup and screamed in pain. Having his magic cut off so suddenly must've been painful. Uther winced at the thought of causing the boy such agony, but it had to be done.

He sat back down on the edge of the table, waiting for Merlin to calm down somewhat as he got used to the pain. Uther couldn't look at the boy's face, wet with tears and a hard gaze of betrayal. He raised his own cup of wine to his mouth and drank slowly, trying to give off a composed air to his captive.

When he was finished he placed the cup down and turned towards Merlin once more. The boy had put his head down on the table and was doing nothing to conceal his tears. Uther reached out and lifted his head with a hand to his chin.

"Who sent you to Camelot?"

"My mother." The boy was sniffling and Uther had to fight the urge to take the cuffs off him. They weren't supposed to be so painful, only a bit of discomfort. That could only mean one thing. Merlin had powerful magic, and a lot of it.

"Why?" He demanded.

He noticed Merlin gritting his teeth and trying to hold back the answer. After a few seconds, the words spilled out of his mouth without opposition.

"She wanted me to come here so I could learn to control my magic under Gaius' instruction," Merlin gasped as his world fell apart around him and he put his head down with a sob. Uther smiled in victory. The potion had worked. Chase: successful.

 _End of chapter_

A/N: What'll happen next? Chapter 11 will be out soon.

Tell me what you thought of this chapter and what you think will happen in the next one.

Hope you all enjoyed this - Milena


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: The long-awaited confrontation between Merlin and Uther:

Chapter 12:

"Why would your mother send you to Camelot, when magic is legal in Essetir?"

Merlin heard the words come to him through a foggy haze. He struggled to answer through the waves of pain that washed over him. They were weaker than the initial surges of agony but they still hurt.

"She knew Gaius could help me, he was our only option. And Lot only made magic legal so he could capture sorcerers and add them to his army. In such a small town, the weird incidents kept piling up. The hope was that I could be better hidden in a big city." Merlin choked out the response.

Merlin had his head down on the table, too afraid to look up and see his fate written in the lines of the King's face. To see his pleasure at having another sorcerer within his control. Merlin couldn't hold back the tears at the thought that in a few days he would be just another magic user who died at the hands of Uther Pendragon. At the thought that his mother would hear about his death from one of Gaius' letters. That she would blame herself. That is if Gaius was left alive.

"Does your mother have magic?"

"No." Merlin's head shot up from the table to make eye-contact with the King. He hoped the answer had been firm enough that the King would leave her alone.

The King put down his cup of wine and stood from the table. Merlin had to strain his neck to look up at the man.

"But Gaius does, doesn't he. I ordered him to give up his magic but he obviously hasn't."

The feeling of dread intensified. Merlin pulled on his restraints. He couldn't let anything happen to his mentor. "No, please."

"You think your pleading will keep him safe? He betrayed me. He betrayed my kingdom."

"Stop." Merlin tried to slip his hand out of the cuff but it held tight. He needed his magic and he needed it now, "He hasn't done anything wrong."

The king frowned at him, "You may believe so. But the law is the law, and the law states that any man found to be using magic or helping a magic user shall be sentenced to death."

Merlin stood from his chair, "No, please, not Gaius. You can't kill your physician, how will the citadel cope with the next illness?"

"Another shall be appointed. But first I want to question him. Shall I have the guards drag him here in chains?"

Merlin couldn't fight the surge of magic in response to the King's threat. His magic slammed against the blocking power of the cuffs and he doubled over and screamed in pain. Out of his peripheral, he saw the king back away with a scared look on his face. Merlin realized in horror what was happening. His magic was the cuffs were fighting against each other and only one could win. He grit his teeth and pushed his magic out with all of his might. He felt the cuffs break and he groaned in an effort to reel his magic in. He leaned on the table while he regained his breath.

Merlin startled at the sound of frantic knocking on the door. "Sire! Sire, are you all right?"

He looked at the King who looked back at him in utter shock. He watched as the man shook his head slightly and walked towards the door. Merlin kept silent. The man was probably going to call his guards in to arrest him. He was about to turn his head to look around the room for an escape when he was frozen in surprise at what the king did next.

As the king walked towards the door he took off his shirt and unbuckled his belt. The king discarded his shirt on the floor. Merlin swallowed. Despite all of the recent events, despite the fact that this man had just caused him unimaginable pain, he couldn't take his eyes off of the man's chest. The build of a knight and covered in battle scars. He had seen Arthur shirtless before but this was different. The king was older. More experienced. And Merlin wanted to hold him down with his magic and repay him for all of the torment he'd suffered at his hands.

 _Line break_

Uther opened the door shirtless with his pants open and put a sudden leer on his face. Sometimes he wondered if his supreme acting skills said something about his character. But he knew they were necessary in his line of work.

"Sire. Are you all right? We heard screaming."

Uther leaned against the doorframe, preventing the knight from spotting Merlin near the table.

"Well, of course, you heard screaming. What do you think I am? An amateur?" He barked out a laugh to cover up the small gasp from behind him.

The knight finally took in the King's appearance and nodded, blushing like a schoolgirl. Uther slammed the door in the man's face and turned towards the sorcerer behind him. When the boy had doubled over in pain he had scrambled back to his desk where he had put the key to unlock the cuffs. He had wanted to question the boy, not kill him. At least not yet. He ignored the voice in his head that said _never_.

Before he could reach his desk he had watched in awe as the cuffs broke and a wave of magic sped towards him. Uther had ducked and prepared himself for impact but it never came. When he looked towards Merlin he was slumped against the table catching his breath. Now it seemed like the boy was completely fine. It was amazing. And terrifying.

Never before had he met someone with enough magic to break through iron. He had been baiting the boy, hoping that if he threatened his loved ones he would get more information out of him. Instead, the most powerful sorcerer he had ever met was standing in front of him without restraints. That was when Uther realized that he was going to die. He had poked the bear and now the bear was angry, and nothing could stop him from taking revenge. The moment he opened his mouth to call for guards he would be dead. So instead he walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Uther picked up his wine cup again. If he was going to die, he might as well drink.

Instead of throwing a spell at him, Merlin just looked at him with a confused look on his face. The boy slowly sat back down in his chair. They stared at each other, catching the other's gaze and holding it. Uther could see the innocence in his eyes and then he calmed down enough to see that even though this boy had magic he doubted it would be used to kill him. He could also see that he would have to be the one to speak first. Before he could get a word out, Merlin spoke up.

"That knight. He thinks we're having sex now." Merlin traced his fingers over the patterns on the table. Uther could see he was nervous. It was to be expected of course.

"That is what I was going for." He responded.

"Why?" Merlin looked at him in question, "I mean I'm a sorcerer. Why didn't you tell him to arrest me? Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm not really sure." He admitted, "But there's something about you. You're different from any other sorcerer I've met. You used your magic to save my son. And you haven't used your magic to kill me, even though you could've."

Merlin looked away at that. Uther wondered if the truth potion was still in effect. "Have you put me under a spell?"

"What? No, I would never.." Merlin protested.

"Hmmm." Uther thought about what he was going to do now. He had a powerful sorcerer on his hands. The boy had saved both Arthur and Gaius and had outed Valiant as a magic user. If it wasn't for the magic he'd have the boy hailed as a hero. But he did have magic, and magic was against the law. If he was found harboring a sorcerer, things would get tricky for him fast. He would probably lose the support of a majority of his council, his knights, and his people. Many of them would force him to abdicate and have Arthur succeed him. Not to mention the possible threats that would come from allowing a sorcerer free reign in his city. Honestly, it would've been much easier if the boy had attacked him.

"Tell me something Merlin. Why should I keep you alive? How would that benefit me or Camelot?"

He watched the boy think for a minute. "Well, I could benefit Camelot in many ways. But as for your first question, I don't know. Why would you keep me alive? How am I different from any other magic user? And why would I want to help you? Not a few moments ago you were chaining me in iron."

All good points, Uther admitted to himself. "You are different because you saved my son, and indirectly me."

"How is that different from a little girl who uses magic to save her brother? We both saved a life." Merlin threw back.

"Yes, but this hypothetical girl saved the life of a loved one. You saved the life of someone you should hate. That is the difference." Uther leaned back in his chair and demanded simply, "How could you benefit Camelot?"

" _If_ I wanted to help Camelot," Merlin responded, putting emphasis on the if, "I could protect the city and its people from a number of things both magical and non-magical. Magic could be used to grow crops in times of drought, to cure illnesses, to stop invasions, to give a few examples."

Uther needed to think. There were good things and bad things that would come out of letting the boy stay alive. He only had two problems: secrecy and guilt. He needed to make sure that this whole ordeal would stay secret. If it got out he'd have to deal with opposition from everyone. And if he decided Merlin should stay alive, he would have to deal with the guilt. He'd be admitting and showing that not all sorcerers are bad. And that would make him a murderer of innocents.

Uther's inner voice asked him then, _Can you bear the guilt for your people? Will you make yourself a murderer for the possibility that you could better the lives of your people?_ And the answer was yes. It was a King's duty to do what was best for his people. It was why he outlawed magic in the first place. He had experienced firsthand the grief that it could cause. But perhaps he had been too hasty in his conclusions. Perhaps there was a balance of good and evil in magic. Perhaps… he had been wrong?

"Would you? Help Camelot, in secret, if I asked you to?"

Merlin answered after a few moments, "I'd need time to think about it."

Uther nodded, "We both have things to think about. You are dismissed Merlin, I'm sure Gaius is waiting for you."

Merlin stood to leave but before he could reach the door he called out to the boy, "And Merlin, I don't need to tell you not to leave Camelot until the matter is put to rest."

"And be your secret prisoner?" Merlin asked the king.

"If that's the way you see it."

Merlin nodded and left Uther to his thoughts. There were rough times ahead, that was for sure.

 _End of Chapter_

A/N: And there you have it, folks! Tell me what you think and what'll happen next! - Milena


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

A week went by before the king spoke to him again. Merlin was sure his majesty's decision would've come faster if it hadn't been for the new threat Camelot was facing. People were dying all over the city for no apparent reason. They would be sick and in a few days they would be dead. Gaius had said that he had never before seen a sickness so extreme. They both quickly came to the same conclusion: magic. Someone was using magic to spread sickness in Camelot. But how?

The sickness was also the reason, he was sure, that he hadn't had to face the citadel's rumor mill. Who would focus on the serving boy that the king was sleeping with when a disease was running rampant in the city?

He had been so busy the last week, trying to find the cause of the sickness that he barely had time to wonder about what the king was going to do. Perhaps it was the same for the other? Surely the king was also too busy to think about Merlin. He didn't even see the king until he was called to the council room earlier along with Gaius. One of the council members had died in the middle of a meeting.

King Uther looked like he was extremely distressed, though he hid it well. The man was desperately trying to keep his council from exploding into a panic. Prince Arthur was standing next to the king, also looking disturbed. When Gaius told the king that the most likely cause of the sickness was magic the man looked like he would break his jaw from the way he was gritting his teeth. Merlin had time to wonder if King Uther suspected him before the king pulled his son aside and told Arthur to let him go from his duties so that he could help Gaius. That would've been helpful of course if Arthur hadn't already done so.

Gaius told him to go back to his chambers to bring him his medicine bag so that he could examine the body properly. Merlin was intercepted in the hallway, however, when the king appeared out of nowhere and pulled him into an empty room. They were silent for a while, both of them realizing that it was the first time they had been alone since Merlin's magic had been revealed.

"Was it you? Are you behind this?" The king broke the silence and grabbed his arm in a death grip. Merlin held back a whimper of pain.

"No of course not." He shook his head.

"Because if you are behind this I swear I'll-"

"Kill me?" Merlin interrupted "Why haven't you sentenced me yet anyway? Surely you've made a decision by now. Why are you keeping me alive?"

"I haven't exactly had free time to think, Merlin." The king brought him closer, still holding onto his arm, but thankfully he had lessened his grip.

"Well neither have I. You're not the only one who's been busy, _sire_ ," Merlin added on the honorific, trying to make it as sarcastic as possible. Which was probably not the best of ideas, antagonizing the man who could put him to death.

The king hesitated "You intrigue me. You're unique in that you'd help Camelot. It feels too good to be true. That a sorcerer would use his magic for good."

"I've already told you that I have." Merlin pointed out.

"And what if I don't believe you," The king said in a low voice. Now their chests were almost touching and, while the king wasn't that much taller than him, at that moment it felt like he was towering over him. But Merlin refused to be intimidated.

"You're the one using a truth potion." The slap to his cheek was quick and unexpected. Merlin lifted his hand to touch the warm skin.

"You will not speak to your king in such an ungrateful manner."

"Oh yes because I have so much to be grateful for." Merlin couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. A week ago he would've been too scared but by now he had accepted his fate. King Uther had nothing he could hold over him now. And that made him act even more reckless in front of the king. Again, not a good idea.

"You can be grateful you're not dead."

"For now, maybe. Now if you're very much done slapping unsuspecting serving boys, I have a job to do." And Merlin left the room without looking back. If he was going to be sentenced then he had nothing more to lose here. He almost felt free. Free from the burden of keeping his magic hidden. Free from fear, almost.

 _Line break_

A few days later Arthur and the knights were ordered to conduct a search of the entire city. They stormed into Gaius' chambers and began to flip things over with no regard to the fragility of some of the objects they were handling. Merlin felt his heart stop when Arthur asked Gaius about his room. He had been reading through his spellbook earlier, trying to find a cure for the sickness. He had put it away, right? Right? Shit.

With growing dread, he realized that he hadn't put the book back into its spot under the loose floorboard under his bedside table. Instead, he had left the book on the bed in plain sight. Perhaps Merlin wasn't as free from fear as he had thought. There was certainly a difference between one person knowing he had magic and the whole city knowing he had magic and suspecting him of causing the sickness that had killed so many.

But when he followed Arthur into his room, the book was nowhere to be found. After the knights left Gaius commended him for hiding his book correctly.

"I'd love to accept your praise Gaius but, ah, I actually left the spellbook on my bed." He admitted.

"On your bed? Merlin. How many times do I have to tell you not to be so careless." His mentor shook his head before he froze, "Wait. If you left it on your bed then why didn't the knights find anything?"

"Because it wasn't there?" Merlin winced. He'd never hear the end of this.

"You mean to say you lost the spellbook?"

"Um, maybe?"

"Merlin, I am going out to inspect the lower town. By the time I come back I want that book found."

He watched the old man leave, softly muttering about 'irresponsibility' and 'stupidity'. Merlin sighed and got to work on searching his room.

 _Line break_

Two hours later Merlin was about to start panicking. Or maybe he was already panicking. He had flipped over and practically destroyed his entire room searching for his spellbook. He left it on the bed, he was sure of it. It couldn't have walked out on its own. Or maybe it could have. If that was the case he was in for a lot of trouble. Merlin didn't want to reveal himself because he was chasing an animated book of magic around the castle. No, that wasn't ideal at all. It had to be here. Merlin was about to begin his entire search again for the fourth time when a voice interrupted him.

"Looking for something?" Merlin could identify that smug voice anywhere. He turned around and was met with the king standing in the doorway to his room holding a very familiar book. The king seemed to be observing the chaos in his room in amusement. Merlin reached for the book but the king pulled it away before he could grab it.

"And what makes you think I'd just give you a magic book?"

"Oh I don't know, the fact that it's not yours to give in the first place." Merlin threw back.

The man shook his head, "Why do you insist on being so insolent to your King?"

"You expect me to respect a man who has shown no respect to me or my kind. How is that just? Respect is earned, and it's a two-way street. Besides I need the book."

"Why?" The king narrowed his eyes at Merlin.

"Why do you think?" Merlin rolled his eyes, "Because there is a magical illness spreading through the citadel and the only way to stop it is with magic."

"No," Uther shook his head, "I will not allow you to use magic." The king turned around and walked out of his room. Merlin followed him out.

"You can't expect me to sit idly by and watch people die." Uther stopped and threw him a curious look as if he was surprised Merlin even cared. "Besides, Gaius knows I have the book and he wants to see me have it when he comes back."

The king seemed to mull it over for a few seconds before he put the book down on a nearby countertop. "This by no means signifies that I'm allowing you to use magic. I only want to keep Gaius out of the know, you'd do well to remember that."

"I won't tell Gaius but what about the sickness-Sire!-" Merlin tried to bring up the sickness again but the king left before he could finish talking. It was like he didn't even care about the people who were dying. Merlin had to ask himself if this was really the king he wanted to serve.

 _Line break_

Uther pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten just as Gaius had instructed he do in times of extreme duress. He was going to go mental at this rate. The fate of his entire kingdom rested on his shoulders and he had people tugging at him in all directions. Just this afternoon he had to tell his son to impose a curfew and to section off the lower town.

Uther had no choice. He did care about the people in the lower town but most of the deaths had occurred there and it was the only way to stop the disease from spreading. But the look on his son's face when he had told the boy to essentially abandon the people in the lower town… Arthur had looked at him as if he was a monster. Sometimes Uther wondered if maybe that was true.

And not to forget the whole Merlin fiasco. Uther wondered how the boy could be stupid enough to leave his spellbook on his bed in plain view when there was a search going on in the castle. It was a good thing he had gone to check his rooms, although the king was still questioning himself over that decision.

Why was he so invested in this boy, this sorcerer? Merlin had asked him what made him so different. He had given a sham answer, but the truth was that Uther didn't know. There was just something about him. Sooner or later Merlin would come to him demanding an answer. He knew that the boy would not allow Uther to keep him in this limbo for long. He had been given more time because of the sickness but his time was running out.

If he sentenced the boy to death he could keep on with his ways, ignoring the little tingle of guilt at the back of his consciousness. Blame his hesitation on the boy's magic, and move on with his life. Or he could let the boy live, and in doing so admit that not all magic was unacceptable. He would completely weaken the platform he had risen to power on. There would be no doubt that his enemies would see it as weakness. The great Uther Pendragon, becoming soft in his old age.

He sighed again and downed his entire goblet of wine. He knew that there would be no major decisions made tonight. But it wouldn't stop his mind from tormenting him.

 _Line break_

"Water!" Merlin looked at Gaius in relief, "That's what it is, isn't it? It's the water. We've found the origin of the sickness."

Gaius nodded, "Yes, it is indeed spreading through the citadel's water supply. We must inform the king at once. Merlin-"

"Gaius, Gaius!" Merlin watched as Gwen ran into the room completely out of breath. She looked distraught, "Gaius it's my father, he's fallen ill. Please tell me you have something, anything. I can't lose him, Gaius."

Gaius reached for her to try to comfort her. "I'm sorry Guinevere, we're doing all that we can, but we haven't found a cure yet."

"No," Gwen put a hand to her head and she doubled over in pain. Merlin rushed to her side but she stood and ran out the door as quickly as she had come.

"Gaius," Merlin looked at his mentor, "This needs to stop now."

"Merlin, you will go inform the king that we have found the origin of the disease. I will not hear of you using magic to cure this thing. You cannot save everybody, boy." And with that Gaius moved to the other side of the room.

Merlin rushed out of the chambers. _Maybe he couldn't save everybody, but he could sure as hell try_. He ran off, towards the king's chambers, as fast as he could.

 _End of chapter_

A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading and one big huge thank you to everyone who has been leaving feedback!

You guys give me life and motivation, so tell me what you think about the story and your predictions on future chapters ;) love - Milena


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hello everybody!

Hope you like the following chapter, let me know what you think! -M

Chapter 14

Merlin ran his hands over his chest, pinching at his nipples slightly, causing them to pebble. Uther tugged lightly at the ropes that bound his hands and feet to the bed.

"You're not trying to escape, are you?" Merlin smiled down at him.

"No." Uther breathes, scared his reward would be taken away from him.

"That's a good little king. Are you ready for your reward now?" Merlin wrapped his hand around Uther's cock and stroked him softly. Just enough to drive him crazy without letting him orgasm. It had been like this for the past half hour.

"Yes, _Yes, please_." Uther hoped Merlin could hear the desperation in his voice. And perhaps he did, because the next thing he knew, Merlin was sinking down on him, enveloping his cock within his tight wet hole. Uther gasped for air. Merlin tilted his head back and gave a filthy moan. He went to grab at Merlin's hips before he remembered his hands were bound above him. He groaned Merlin's name.

Merlin looked down at him, "Beg me for what you want, little king."

"Need you..." Uther gasped, "Need you... to ride me, _Please_."

Merlin started at a slow pace, not showing any mercy, looking down at him with those gold eyes. Looking every bit the powerful sorcerer he was. Merlin's magic keeping him completely still, driving him wild with desire. His movements demanding. Uther was barely holding onto his sanity.

"Please, Merlin… _Please… Master_ "

And finally, _Finally_ , Merlin began to move faster, to ride him harder. _Oh, gods,_ he was so close, he was going to…

 **Knock, Knock** , "Your majesty, there's a serving boy that has requested your presence. It's the boy you told us to let through no matter the time."

And Uther let out a frustrated groan as he was cruelly ripped from his fantasy, ironically by the same boy he had been fantasizing about. Just his luck, he supposed.

"Send him in." Uther sighed.

 _Line Break_

Merlin rushed into the King's chambers and froze at the sight that met him. King Uther sitting up in his bed, so very obviously naked. The king looked over at him the way one would look at a fly: in annoyance.

"Has no one taught you that you're supposed to wait in the antechamber when requesting an audience with a king?" The king raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I wasn't aware being naked gave you a speech impediment. Are you alright my lord? You seem flushed." Merlin shot back.

The king's eyes widened in shock, "Have some decorum boy!"

"I don't know, I think I quite like you like this." Merlin couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Over the last few days, he had become more and bolder around the king

Uther glared at him in outrage and pointed at the antechamber, and waited for Merlin to leave the room before getting up and getting dressed. After a moment of consideration, he put on his crown as well. It would do the sorcerer some good to remember who was king.

Uther entered the antechamber when Merlin was waiting for him. He sat down in a chair facing the boy.

"Well, what was so urgent that you had to interrupt my sleep, boy."

Uther looked down in shock when the boy kneeled before him.

"Please your majesty, please. Just let me use my magic to cure the illness sweeping through the town. You don't have to work with magic, all you have to do is turn a blind eye." Merlin begged him.

Uther sighed, "Merlin, we've already talked about this. I've turned a blind eye to your magic for far too long."

"So what's a bit longer then? If it saves your city. Your people. My people."

Uther looked away from Merlin's pleading eyes. It was true that so many people dying would send the city into chaos. He had already decided a few nights ago that he would bear the guilt of using such an evil thing as magic if it saved his kingdom. He sighed again. Ever since Merlin came to Camelot he'd been doing a lot more sighing.

" _Please_ , sire." Merlin begged.

He shook his head, "Do what you must." The look of relief on Merlin's face was almost worth it.

"Thank you," Merlin pressed a kiss to Uther's hand and ran out the door. Uther stared at his hand, feeling the imprint of Merlin's lips there, and wondered how those lips would feel in other places. In that moment Uther knew he'd fallen. And he'd fallen hard.

 _End of chapter_

A/N: What'll happen next? Chapter 15 will be out soon so stay tuned! Love you guys, - M


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Woohoo another chapter. Let me know what you think! Dialogue taken from the show is in **bold.** Love - M

Chapter 15:

Merlin snuck back into his room, making sure that Gaius didn't catch him. _Finally_ , he had done something. Even if it was just Gwen's father he had helped, it was something. All this time, watching all those people die, one after another, knowing that he could help but choosing not to, just to save himself.

' _Would you be willing to help Camelot?'_ Merlin remembered King Uther's words. And yes, he would be. He needed to. All his life, Merlin had been searching for a purpose. Why did he have magic? He'd asked himself the question constantly in his youth. Maybe this was why. Seeing the joy on Gwen's face as she embraced her father caused the best feeling in the world. Merlin wasn't evil. He wasn't a monster. He could do good. And now he knew how.

 _Line Break_

Merlin was walking down the corridors when the sound of a woman's cries caught his attention. He rad towards the sound and the sight that met him awoke within him the largest sense of dread he had ever felt. Arthur storming down the hallway with Gwen being dragged behind him by two guards. She was trying to get the Prince's attention to claim her innocence. She saw Merlin and cried for him to help her but a hand held him back. Gaius grabbed him and dragged him in the opposite direction. No, it couldn't be. But it was. He had been so stupid, so careless. And now Gwen was going to pay the price.

 _Line Break_

Uther looked down at the woman that had been thrown at his feet. Then he glanced at the corner of the throne room, where Merlin had hidden himself behind a column, tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked to his son, who held the glowing poultice in his hand, and he knew. He knew what Merlin had tried to do. In an attempt to save his friend's father with magic, he had gotten her accused of the very same. It wasn't Merlin's fault completely though. He had been the one to give the boy permission. It was their fault. In between the two of them, they had sentenced an innocent woman to death.

Because his court would no longer accept any other option. They were hysterical, desperate to end the disease. And they would blame this woman. Guinevere. Uther was reminded again, in a moment of clarity, of the monster he had created of his people. Paranoid and frantic, it was easier to go along, much harder to go against the tide. And on the inside, Uther cried too, as he let himself be swept along the current, as he handed out a death sentence. When had he become a follower, instead of a leader? And he hoped, as he looked at Merlin, that this boy would be the one to somehow end the chaos.

 _Line Break_

"Let her go. You know she's innocent."

"You know I can't Merlin."

"But you're the king. You should be able to do something."

"If I let her go, in the middle of a magical epidemic sweeping through my city, I'd have a riot on my hands."

"You know it was me, right?" Merlin looked at the floor, "I did this, I caused this. So arrest me and let her go."

Uther sighed, "Merlin, it wasn't all your fault. I'm the one that gave you permission. It was my mistake. These are the consequences that befall us when we use such an evil power."

"No," Merlin said forcefully, "This is what happens when magic is outlawed. If magic had been legal, no one would've had to die of this sickness."

"Merlin..."

But before Uther could get a word in edgewise, Merlin turned to leave the room. As he reached the door he turned around to face his king once more.

"You fail to realize, your majesty, that when magic is seen as evil, only those who are evil or desperate will use it. Any who would use magic for simple, innocent purposes like cleaning or even cooking, would never go near magic as long as it stays outlawed. Because the kind of people who would use magic for good are not the kind of people who break the law."

And Uther was left alone to analyze this new perspective.

 _Line Break_

"Gwen?" Merlin called to his friend from outside the cell.

"Merlin," Gwen stood up from the hay cot and moved towards him, grabbing his hands through the bars, "Thank you for coming."

"I know you're innocent."

"Thank you again, Merlin, you're a good friend." Gwen looked down at the floor but he could see the tears in her eyes.

"I'm going to get you out of here, I promise."

"Well, if anyone could it'd be you."

For a second, Merlin thought that Gwen knew about his magic and that she knew it was all his fault she was facing a death sentence.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked her.

"Well...I just mean that… I've heard you've gotten close to the King...Not to say that he'd listen to you- not that he wouldn't- although he probably won't, oh gosh I'm rambling again." Gwen blushed.

"No, don't worry, it's fine, just- whatever it is, you can say it." Merlin urged her on.

"It's just that I heard from one of the guards that you were...sleeping with the king."

Now it was Merlin's turn to blush, "Oh, I see."

"We kept it to ourselves though, that guard was a friend of mine, I advised him to keep quiet about the whole affair."

"Ah," Merlin nodded, "So that's why the rumor mill hasn't attacked me yet."

Gwen nodded at him. She opened her mouth to respond but one of the guards came around the corner and informed Merlin that his time was up.

"Don't worry Gwen, I'll fix this."

 _Line Break_

Uther had posed to his council the question, What would they do about the waning water supply. They all thought that if they burned the so-called witch they had in the cells, that the disease would go away. But Uther knew better. Someone else was causing this and they needed to be found. But all searches had been put on hold for the moment because everyone thought they were safe now. The people needed to realize that they were still at risk. He was even thinking of moving the execution up to further along the process.

But he hesitated. Doing so would give Merlin less time to save his friend. And somewhere deep inside, Uther hoped he wouldn't have to condemn an innocent woman to death. _But then, you've already slaughtered hundreds of innocents, haven't you?_ The realization that magic could be used for good had come with a heavy price of guilt that was slowly becoming too much for him to handle.

Gaius went to stand to give his thoughts to the council when the doors to the council room were thrown open by none other than Merlin. And the look of determination on his face spoke volumes.

" **It was me."** Merlin said out loud to the council, " **It was me who used magic to cure Gwen's father."**

 _End of chapter_

A/N: Eek, what'll happen next? Tell me what you think! Love - M


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Woohoo another chapter. Let me know what you think, I always love your comments! Dialogue taken from the show is in **bold.** Love - M

 **QUESTION:** Would you guys like an endgame evil! Nimueh or eventual good! Nimueh? Just to know.

Chapter 16:

 _No, stop!_ He sent a pleading look towards the wayward servant. This couldn't be happening. He would have to put to death the only person who had any hope of saving him from this cycle of madness. Uther couldn't stop it on his own. But Merlin continued with his false confession.

" **Gwen is not the sorcerer, I am."** Merlin lifted his arms, putting himself at the mercy of the council. He should've done something about the serving girl who'd been wrongly accused. Now Merlin, the only good sorcerer he had ever met, would die for the crimes of another magic user who was still free. And Camelot would lose the one person that could protect them from whoever it was.

Gaius stood and tried to convince Merlin to stand down, but Merlin didn't, wouldn't, listen. He shouldn't have been surprised. That boy rarely listens to anyone. _Can I save him_? Not if this meeting goes south. The thought of watching Merlin suffer for someone else's crimes made his head spin. _Perhaps he could make things painless for the boy?_ No. There had to be a way to fix this, damn it, he was the king.

" **I place myself at your mercy."** Merlin looked directly at him. The words resounded in his head. He had wanted this. Had wanted control over the boy and his powers. But not like this. He looked at his council. They were all looking at the boy in contempt. This would not end well. Uther felt the resignation swell up inside of him. Grieving. Mourning.

" **Then arrest him."** He sat back down on his throne, crown weighing heavy on his head. He would have to find a way to get the boy out of the dungeons before morning. But then his prayers were answered by someone he never thought would get in the way.

" **Father, please, I can't allow this. This is madness! There's no way** _ **Mer**_ **lin is a sorcerer."** Uther and Merlin looked at Arthur in shock. _Was he actually standing up for the boy? Against me?_

" **Did you not hear him? He admitted it"** Uther asked his son, honestly curious as to how his boy was going to get Merlin out of this situation. Merlin nodded to Uther, a look passing between the two of them. An apology, and more mutual resignation. It truly, _truly_ , was humbling, the thought of this boy sacrificing everything for his friend.

" **He saved my life, remember?"** Arthur reminded him as if he needed reminding.

" **Why should he fabricate such a story?"** Uther was torn in between relief and frustration. He was glad someone was standing up for Merlin and saving him from himself. But he was also frustrated at his son's steadfast belief that the boy was completely innocent. Arthur seemed to legitimately think Merlin was an idiot, and it drove Uther mad. If he kept underestimating those around him, one day he'd end up killed. He motioned for Arthur to continue, however, genuinely interested to know what nonsense Arthur would come up with to save the boy.

" **As Gaius said... he's got a grave... mental disease."** Arthur stumbled through his explanation.

" **Really?"** Uther had to fight from rolling his eyes.

" **He's in love…"** Arthur blurted out.

" **What?"** Merlin tried to interrupt, but his son continued.

" **...With Gwen."** Uther couldn't hold back his sudden silent laughs and ducked his face to hide them. _That's it!_ If he tried to make a joke out of the whole thing, perhaps the council would dismiss the whole thing. He lifted his head.

" **Perhaps she cast a spell on you."** Uther began to force a laugh. It spread through the council until his entire court was laughing at the poor boy. He felt a twitch of guilt at the look of hurt on the boy's face. He couldn't imagine having that much power and having to control himself in front of a laughing council. But he couldn't let Merlin sacrifice himself like that. And he couldn't leave Camelot vulnerable without its protector. Uther wondered when he began to think of Merlin as the kingdom's protector. To say he was conflicted would be an understatement. And as king, he wasn't used to being so uncertain.

" **Merlin is a wonder but the wonder is that he's such an** _ **idiot**_ **. There's no way he's a sorcerer."** He cringed when his son insulted the boy. For a second Uther wondered if Merlin would turn on them and smite them just for underestimating him. And he wondered if Arthur knew of his servant's value or if he truly believed that Merlin was an idiot. Unfortunately, it was probably the latter.

" **Don't waste my time again, let him go."** Uther nodded to the guards. Merlin looked at him in disbelief before he left the council room in a hurry. Gaius excused himself before following the boy, most likely to give him a stern talking to. At least he hoped Gaius would or else he'd have to be the one to teach the boy some semblance of self-preservation.

At least the crisis had been averted. Uther brushed off the whole incident and continued the meeting, hoping that no one would bring it up again. And he silently hoped that Merlin did something quick about the illness. Because if the servant girl was put to death and nothing changed, Merlin would be in big trouble.

 _Line Break_

A few nights later, Uther was entering his chambers after a celebratory dinner with Arthur and Morgana. The night before Arthur had come into the throne room claiming that he had defeated the monster that had been contaminating the water. This afnac was apparently defeated with nothing but a sword. Uther believed none of it. Arthur may think he defeated it by himself but the look on Merlin's face told him everything. The king was starting to realize just how telling the boy's looks were. The servant may lie constantly, but his expressions and gestures were extremely honest. Uther wondered how someone could be such a good and bad liar at the same time. But that's just what Merlin was in everything. An enigma.

The king was also irked at the rumors spreading around of Merlin's love for Gwen. According to everyone, especially Morgana, the boy was definitely infatuated with the girl. They were all talking about the undying love that would bring Merlin to try to sacrifice himself for Gwen. It made him want to vomit. For the first time in a long time, he felt jealous, although he would never admit it in a million years.

Damn it there were supposed to be rumors about him and Merlin, not Merlin and some poor random serving girl. He wondered briefly if Merlin had done something about that. And then he was also annoyed at himself for letting himself be this affected by such trivial matters. Damn this stupid infatuation, kings weren't supposed to spend every waking moment obsessing about some servant, even if (especially if) said servant was a sorcerer.

When he entered his room he wasn't surprised to see Merlin leaning on one of his bedposts.

"Well?" he asked the boy.

"The afnac was a creature of magic, and it had to be defeated with magic."

"Were you discreet, at the very least?"

"Arthur didn't notice a thing."

"Good," Uther stepped further into his chambers, "You're not to use your magic again."

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do with my magic?"

"The man who decides if you live or die."

"See that's the thing," Merlin stepped closer until he was just a few inches away from him, "I think you've already decided, Uther Pendragon."

Before Uther could register that that was the first time the boy had used his full name, the servant had already left.

 _End of chapter_

A/N: And we finally start to see a change happen, but the troubles are not over yet for Merlin and Uther.

 **QUESTION:** Would you guys like an endgame evil! Nimueh or eventual good! Nimueh? Just to know.


	17. Chapter 17

Merlin stepped forward with the rest of the servants, behind the knights of Camelot and Uther. He watched on as King Bayard of Mercia and his entourage entered the throne room and walked towards them. The king welcomed them officially. Merlin had learned from talking to Prince Arthur that Camelot had apparently been at war with Mercia for a long time, and there had been many casualties between the two kingdoms.

Despite the bloodshed, or perhaps because of it, King Uther and King Bayard had decided on signing a peace treaty. The king of Mercia had traveled to Camelot to sign the treaty himself. Merlin could tell that it was a pretty important affair. He had to admit that seeing King Uther wearing his crown did something to him. It gave him this feeling of... something... rising in him. Or maybe it wasn't all Uther.

Merlin looked over every person in the Mercian retinue. He had a difficult time identifying the cold feeling he had just gotten, but he was sure it was because of magic. Someone else's, to be specific. But he couldn't tell who the feeling was coming from. It was the first time anything like this had happened to him. He turned his eyes back to his King, who was shaking hands with the Mercian ruler. Everyone in the room began to clap, except one of the Mercian handmaidens. She was looking at King Uther with clear dislike in her eyes. Or maybe she was looking at Bayard. He couldn't tell from the angle he was standing in.

 _Line break_

Merlin was talking to Gaius in the middle of a semi crowded passageway. He was complaining about his work, as usual, when the handmaiden from before bumped into him and dropped the pillows she'd been carrying on the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, excuse me." She went to pick up her things.

Merlin bent down to help her, "That's alright. Let me give you a hand with that."

He looked up and got caught in her eyesight. Merlin might've been into men, but he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her gaze. She had the bluest eyes. They both stood up.

"Hi," He reached out his hand, "I'm Merlin."

"I'm Cara." She shook his outstretched hand, "You're Arthur's servant. That must be such an honor."

He was so caught up in her eyes that he failed to notice that she called the Prince by his first name, "Oh, yeah, well someone's got to keep the place running."

Cara smiled at him, "Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Merlin

 _Line break_

"Oh gods, when's the last time these were cleaned?" Merlin held up the offending jacket.

Arthur shrugged, "Sometime last year. Before the feast of Beltane."

"Did it end in a food fight?"

"Don't all feasts?"

"I don't know. I've never been to one before. I mean, other than the first one, which ended quite early due to the murderous sorceress that tried to kill you."

"Oh please," Arthur rolled his eyes, "If you think that was a feast then you're in for a surprise tonight."

Merlin paused, "I'm going to be at the feast?"

"Well..." Arthur took off the jacket and handed it to him, "You'll be there to make sure my cup doesn't run dry. Make sure to polish the buttons."

Merlin rolled his eyes and walked over to the table and began to polish. He was interrupted a while later by the Prince's smug voice.

"Do you want to know what you'll be wearing tonight?"

Merlin looked himself over, "Won't this do?"

"No," Arthur shook his head, "Tonight you'll be wearing the official ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot."

Arthur pulled the 'robes' out from behind his screen and held them up in delight.

"You can't be serious?"

 _Line break_

Uther tried to listen to what Bayard was saying. But he couldn't help but be distracted by Merlin's ridiculous outfit. Seriously though, what on gods earth was he wearing? If he hadn't been in the middle of a feast celebrating the most important treaty Camelot had been involved in for decades, he wouldn't have been able to hold back his laughter.

From the smug look on Arthur's face, he could guess who had forced the boy into his feathered costume. Uther wondered for a second if he should ask his son to ease up on his manservant, but the boy hadn't been seriously harmed. He decided he would though, if Merlin ever asked him to. His relationship with the boy had become increasingly stronger, especially after he saved Camelot from the afnac.

After the event, when he'd asked the boy not to use his magic again, Merlin had used his full name, and Uther had never been more aroused. He found himself wanting to hear his name from Merlin's lips over and over. But when Gaius had found the mark of Nimueh on the afnac's egg, he had realized that Merlin could be Camelot's greatest safety net. Him and the boy had spent several nights going over how he could help defend the castle from future plight.

And he couldn't deny that his attraction had also been growing stronger. Not only was Merlin a powerful sorcerer who had yet to reach his full potential, he was also compassionate and caring. Two characteristics that he had never before associated with a magic user. But it was true. He still didn't know what he would do if anyone found out about Camelot's little protector.

He looked over at the boy again and spotted Merlin standing next to Gwen. However, Merlin only had eyes for one of the Mercian handmaidens. The king felt his jealousy surge when the girl walked up to Merlin and the two left the hall together. What were they doing? Was Merlin interested in that girl? What about Gwen? Uther groaned internally in frustration. He turned his attention back to Lord Bayard when he handed over two beautiful cups and presented a lengthy toast. He responded with his own toast 'to peace' and began to tip the cup back to drink, when Merlin suddenly burst back into the hall and snatched Arthur's cup away.

"Stop! it's poisoned, don't drink it!" The boy pointed at Bayard, "Bayard laced Arthur's cup with poison."

"This is an outrage!" Bayard took out his sword and pointed it at Merlin. The rest of the Mercian knights also readied their swords and his knights did the same.

 _Damnation._


	18. Chapter 18

"Merlin, what are you doing?!" Surprisingly enough, the outcry came from his son. Although Uther shouldn't have been surprised after his son defended Merlin during the afnac fiasco.

"Order your men to put down their swords," Uther directed himself to Bayard, "You are outnumbered."

More of his knights stormed into the dining room.

"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged." Bayard looked at the servant in contempt. Uther turned to address himself to the boy.

"On what grounds do you base these accusations?" Uther asked him. Arthur tried to claim that the boy was just drunk but Uther couldn't allow the boy to just walk away. If Merlin was mistaken then the boy had just almost ruined a peace treaty that had been years in the making. And if he was right then Camelot would once again go to war against Mercia because Bayard wouldn't be leaving this room alive.

"Unless you want to be strung up," He regretted the threat but it was necessary, "you'll tell me why you think it's poisoned, now."

"He was seen lacing it." Merlin responded.

"By whom?"

He could see the boy hesitate, "I can't say."

"I won't listen to this anymore." Bayard interrupted his interrogation.

"Pass me the goblet." He ordered the boy. Merlin handed it to him.

"If you are telling the truth-"

"I am," Bayard growled.

"- then you have nothing to fear."

Bayard put away his sword and held out his hand.

"No, if you've tried to poison my son, I want the pleasure of killing you myself."

"Then give the cup to the servant. If he dies, you'll know I lied, and if he lives," Bayard looked at Merlin, "He's mine."

Damn, Uther thought. He walked straight into that one. There would be no logical reason not to make Merlin drink from the cup. And it wouldn't be right to have someone else drink it. Merlin took the cup from him and he found himself torn. Did he wish for Merlin to be wrong? And then he'd have to hand him over to Bayard. Or did he wish for Merlin to be right? And hope that Gaius had a cure for whatever poison the cup had been laced with.

He didn't even have enough time to mull it over before Merlin had downed the entire thing.

For a second he was fine and Uther breathed a small sigh of relief. He'd have to find a way to get him back from Bayard but at least he was alive for now. But then Merlin began to choke and he went down.

"It is poison." He looked at Bayard in hatred, "Seize him!"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Arthur pick the boy up and follow Gaius and Gwen out of the room.

 _Line break_

"I will not let you go out there and get yourself killed after I almost just lost you." Uther walked down the corridor with his son by his side.

"I won't fail, no matter what you think." Arthur insisted.

"Arthur you are my only son and heir I can't risk losing you over a servant." No matter how magical he may be Uther continued in his head.

"Because his life is worthless?" Arthur stopped behind him.

"Because it's worth less than yours." Uther turned towards his son.

In that moment Uther had to shove aside all his feelings for the boy, no matter how strong they were. He was a king and father before he could be a lover. And he had to protect his son. The decision wasn't something he took lightly, and it certainly gave him a heart-wrenching feeling, but he had suffered heartache before and survived. However... losing his son...now that was a grief he would never come back from. He'd be as good as dead.

"I can save him. let me take some men-"

"No."

"-We'll find the antidote, and bring it back."

"I said no."

"Why not?" Uther hated the look of desperation on his sons face. He hated the fact that right now in Arthur's mind he was the enemy. If Merlin were to die, there would be no way to fix his relationship with his son. It would be utterly ruined and Arthur would hate him. But at least he would be alive to hate him.

"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a king. I'm not going to let you jeopardize the future of this kingdom over your manservant."

Uther turned to leave but Arthur continued.

"Please, father. He saved my life."

"I am not blind. I saw how he saved you, multiple times. But I can't risk losing you, and that is that. And you need to get used to the fact that one day you will be king, and this boy will not be the last to die on your behalf."

"I can't accept that."

"You're not going."

"You can't stop me."

"Damn it, Arthur, that's an end to it. You're not leaving this castle tonight." And then he turned away, mourning the death of his relationship with Arthur, but thankfully not mourning the death of his son. He hoped it would stay that way.

 _Line break_

He slammed his goblet onto the table. "I expressly ordered Arthur not to go."

"I'd say it worked like a charm too." Morgana smiled at him sarcastically. He loved Morgana but gods did she test him sometimes.

"Not another word." He pointed at her. She rolled her eyes.

"I should've put him under lock and key." He'd been foolish enough to think that Arthur would follow his orders. Or maybe he'd been hoping for him not to. Uther had been kept up all night by thoughts of Merlin suffering. All because of him. But he couldn't hope... not with his son at risk

"You can't chain him up every time he disagrees with you."

"Just you watch me. I will not be disobeyed, especially by my own son." This had been the first time that Arthur had done so in such a blatant way. All because of Merlin. Uther wondered if the boy was a bad influence on him, or maybe a good influence. He heard Morgana scoff behind him and he paused.

"You knew about this didn't you?" He turned and walked towards her, "Morgana. Don't lie to me."

"Arthur is old enough to make his own decisions."

"He's just a boy."

"Have you seen your son recently? You have to let him make his own mind up."

"Even if it means letting him go to his death?"

"He'll make it back." She nodded to him, ever the optimistic.

"I hope so. For all our sakes."

 _Line break_

Uther stepped into Gaius' chambers and spotted Gwen tending to the boy. He felt his jealousy surge again.

"How is he?" The serving girl looking up at him in shock, surprised that the king was even speaking to her.

"He has an incredibly high fever, sire."

"Perhaps you could fetch some water then? I'll look after him while your gone." Uther couldn't help but hope she would stay gone too.

Gwen nodded and left. Uther took his place by Merlin's bedside, placing a hand to the boy's forehead. He was burning up. Gaius walked in and did a double take. His old friend was no doubt curious as to why he was tending to his apprentice.

"My lord, I wasn't expecting you." Gaius glanced at the hand on Merlin's forehead.

"The boy saved my son. Again. I'm only here to make sure we do as much as we can to save him." Or to stall long enough for Arthur to make it back. If he ever did make it back. He was brought out of his deepest fear when Merlin began to mumble in another language.

Uther looked at the physician, "You've been teaching him the old religion?" Of course, Uther already knew this fact. But it was a bit amusing to see Gaius scramble to cover his tracks. It was alarming too. When did his old friend become such a skilled liar? Or maybe he was always this way and he just never knew it.

"I … thought it would be prudent for Merlin to understand it. Most of my medicine books are written in the language."

"Hmmmm," Uther turned back towards the boy, "We'll have to have them translated at some point."

The king ran his hands down the boy's arm, attempting to comfort him. Perhaps it worked because the mumbling had stopped. He frowned when he felt bumps through the boys shirt. Uther lifted Merlin's sleeve to reveal oval shaped marks all over the boy's skin.

"Gaius," He motioned for the older man to come over, "What are these?"

The physician looked closely at the markings and murmured, "That can't be right. The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage." Gaius stood and walked towards the table and began searching though one of his books.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It says here that once the rash appears, death will follow within two days."

"Arthur said he had four days."

Gaius looked down, thinking, "Something has increased the flower's potency." The man looked through the book again, "There is a warning that the effects will be increased if an enchantment is used during the flower's preparation."

"Sorcery." Uther spit the word out. He grit his teeth and tried to calm himself down enough that he wouldn't punch a hole through the table. He most likely would end up breaking a bone or something. It was magic targeting his family again. Except this time it had hit another mark. How could Merlin claim that magic could be good if this is what it was doing to him. Perhaps the boy was just naive. Not yet old enough to understand the dangers of magic, to have seen them. He wondered if the boy's opinion would change now. That is, if the boy survived. If the boy were to die he would run Bayard through himself- Wait, he paused.

"But Bayard is no sorcerer."

"No he isn't."

"Then who did this." He felt the rage surge up again.

"It can't have been, She would never dare come here."

Uther knew instantly who he was referring to. The same woman who had been behind the afnac. The same woman who killed... He couldn't even finish the thought. He never thought he'd have to hear her name or see her face again. But then he thought back to the events of the banquet.

"What about that girl, just before Merlin burst into the hall one of Bayard's serving girls took him out of the room."

Just then Gwen returned with a bucket of water.

"Ah Guinevere," Gaius addressed the girl, "Do you remember Merlin speaking with one of Bayard's servants during the feast?"

The girl nodded, "Yes, she had dark hair, very beautiful."

"Find her at once." Uther commanded her. Gwen nodded and rushed out of the room.

 _Line break_

"Let me guess," Gaius paused his examination of Merlin's rash when the serving girl returned, "She wasn't there."

"No one has seen her since the banquet," Gwen glanced at Uther, "I'm sorry, sire."

"Don't be" Uther dabbed the wet cloth against Merlin's forehead, "This wasn't your fault."

"May I ask, who she is?" Gwen took another step forward.

"Not who she claims to be." Gaius responded, "Cara is not her real name. She is a very powerful sorceress."

"Then maybe if we send riders out?" Gwen glanced at her king nervously, trying to suggest a course of action but not wanting to overstep her place and tell him what to do.

"She'll be long gone by now." He always knew, in the back of his mind, that one day Nimueh would return. He should've hunted her down before and killed her when he had the chance. Now she was targeting his family and his kingdom.

"It'll be impossible to know where though," Gaius sighed and then paused. "Oh no," The physician looked up at him, "She knows that the only place an antidote can be found is the forest of Balor."

And the sinking feeling in his stomach came back full force, "Arthur is walking into a trap."


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Another chapter finished! Hope you guys like this one 33

And the sinking feeling in his stomach came back full force, "Arthur is walking into a trap."

"Ar..Arthur" The harsh mumbling came from Merlin, "Arthur, it's a...It's a trap."

It was as if the boy were trying to speak to Arthur. Normally Uther wouldn't be surprised. He assumed one could send a message over long distances with magic and Merlin had already proven he had a not-so-small loyalty of Camelot and to Arthur. But for the boy to be calling out even as he was on his deathbed... he must've been stronger than Uther thought (which was already plenty strong after the whole 'breaking out of iron cuffs' debacle).

Uther put a hand on the boy's forehead, once again attempting to comfort the boy, "His fever's getting worse."

Gaius looked at him with a sadness of his face, "The poison is setting in."

The door burst open making the three of them stand in alarm. One of the guards entered the room.

"Your majesty, it seems King Bayard has collapsed."

Uther turned to his physician, "Go, there's not much you can do here without an antidote and we'll have war on our hands in anything happens to Bayard."

"I'll go too, maybe I can help." The servant girl bowed to him and both left the room shortly.

Uther dipped the cloth back into the cold water when Merlin began to speak again, this time in the old religion once more. It sounded..like a spell. A blue light began to glow from underneath the blanket covering the boy. He pulled back the cover. A glowing blue orb levitated above Merlin's hand.

"What are you up to Merlin?"

"Leave them Arthur!" the boy spoke loudly. Oh how he wished he knew what was happening. Arthur was in trouble wasn't he. Uther felt his heartbeat elevate.

"Go! Save yourself. Follow the light." Had the boy always been so concerned with Arthur's safety? Merlin didn't seem to have any survival skills whatsoever, always sacrificing himself. Of course, Uther was thankful for it now. The boy had saved his son numerous times and it seemed that he'd have to add another to the list.

"Faster. Go faster. Follow the light." Uther grabbed onto Merlin's hand for dear life and hoped his son would be okay.

"Move. Climb!" Climb? Uther had every confidence that his son had the stamina to climb what was probably a rock wall since he had gone to the caves of Balor. But Merlin seemed too insistant for such a simple task. Unless...he was being chased by something? Gaius did mention that there were creatures protecting the caves.

Merlin's breathing slowed down once more and the glowing orb faded away. Uther hoped he could take that as a sigh that his son was safe, but he wouldn't be sure until Arthur made it back.

 _Line break_

"You disobeyed me."

"Of course I did, a man's life is at steak. Do not let Merlin die because of something I did."

Uther was torn. He was proud of his son, in a way, because putting himself at risk for a servant was a change from the arrogance he'd had before. But he was also angry, not only that he'd been disobeyed but that Arthur had put himself at such a risk. This 'leave-no-man-behind' attitude that Arthur was developing was not healthy for a king. Not only was it imposible to not have people die for you as king but Arthur would eventually be tortured by the thought all of the people who would sacrifice their lives for him and for Camelot.

"Why do you care so much? The boy is just a servant." That wasn't true of course, but Arthur didn't know that.

"He knew the danger he was putting himself into when he drank from that goblet, but he did it anyway. He saved my life. There's more," Arthur paused, "The was a woman at the mountain, she knew I was there for the flower. I don't think it was Bayard who tried to poison me."

"Yes we figured that out while you where gone."

Arthur reached into his pocket and held out a yellow flower to him, "Gaius knows what to do with this. Put me in the stocks for a week. A month even, I don't care. Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you."

He took the flower. His first instinct was to crush the flower, and to crush Arthur's rebellion. To make sure he won this fight. But this wasn't a fight, really. And if he did that he'd be leaving Camelot vulnerable to Nimueh's next attack. It had nothing to do with his strong attraction to the young sorcerer. Nothing at all.

He left the dungeons, deciding that he'd keep Arthur there for a week, and put him in the stocks for another. He wondered what Merlin would think of his master in the stocks after Arthur had put him there so often. Something told him Merlin would be very amused. But first he had to make sure Merlin would be alive when it happened. He stopped a knight on his way to his chambers, gave him the flower, and sent him on his way to Gaius.

 _Line break_

Uther walked into the physicians chambers, wishing to check up on Merlin after the antidote had been administered. Gaius had his head on Merlin's chest and a devastated look on his face.

His old friend looked up at him, "He's stopped breathing."

"What?" Uther sped to the boy's side as Gaius checked for a pulse.

"His heart has stopped."

"He's dead?"Uther sat down next to Merlin's body in shock. Dead?

"He can't be. It can't be. It was his destiny to... I...think I need a moment, sire." Gaius walked out of the room, mourning his apprentice.

"It's my fault." He whispered. If only he had been faster. If only he had delivered the flower himself, then maybe... Uther laid his head on the boy's arm.

"If I had know this would be the reaction I'd get to dying, I would've died sooner."

"Merlin." Uther looked up and was met with the boy's blinding smile. And with all the feelings welling up inside of him he couldn't fight temptation. He surged forward and their lips met in a frenzied passion. He pulled back in shock and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me... I just... well I thought you were dying so.."

"Of course, I...understand." The boy responded.

"I'm glad you're alive. However, we may have a new problem on our hands. It would seem that I'm not the only one who knows about your magic."

"The girl... Cara. But that isn't her real name is it?"

"No. But I have matters to attend to, kings to release. We'll talk about it later."

Merlin nodded as Uther left the room.

 _line break_

Merlin drank the warm soup, trying to get rid of the chill that had surrounded him after being given the antidote. He touched his lips, feeling the phantom press of Uther's lips against his. He wished the kiss had lasted a little longer. Although the kiss was probably out of shock more than anything else right? There's no way such a handsome king would be interested in a sorcerer such as himself.

"Still alive then?" Merlin turned to Arthur who was standing at the doorway, and didn't blush about the recent thoughts of Arthur's father. Or at least he tried not to.

"Um..yeah just about", he paused, "I understand, I have you to thank for that."

"Yeah well, it was nothing. A half-decent servant is hard to come by. I was only dropping by to make sure you were alright. See that you're back to work tomorrow."

"Yup bright and early." Merlin called after him as Arthur turned to leave, "And Arthur... thank you."

"You too," Arthur nodded to him, "Get some rest."

Merlin grinned and turned back to his soup.

 _line break_

"Arthur the woman you met in the forest, what did she tell you?"

"Not much, too busy trying to kill me. But it was strange, she had me at her mercy but she chose not to finish me off. Said it wasn't my destiny to die at her hands."

"That woman...She is evil." Uther breathed.

"You speak as if you know her."

"I do." Uther turned to his son and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You did the right thing, even if you were disobeying me. I'm proud of you Arthur. Never forget that."

 _line break_

"Alright, why are you in such a mood?" Morgana asked him as she entered his chambers. "You just saved Merlin and Uther actually admitted he was wrong about something and said he was proud of you. I'd have thought you would be happier."

Arthur sat up in bed. "In the caves of Balor, someone saved my life with magic, a sorcerer."

"Really?" Morgana sat next to him, "Did you see this person?"

"No, they sent a light to guide the way. I don't know who it was. But whoever it was, I'm going to find them."

"How? And what are you going to do once you do?"

"I don't know"

A/N: Yayyy finally Merlin and Uther kiss! Tell me what you think of the new chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Hello my loves! Brand new update for you, will be attempting to get these updates out more regularly 3

Uther was in the middle of listening to his people's plea's and requests. He held such an open day to the people of Camelot once a fortnight. Usually he had Arthur handle it, wanting his son to get used to handling his people, but every now and then the king joined in as well. Today was one such day. Unfortunately, these days seemed to be extremely dull. He did love his people, but they could fight over the simplest things: farm borders, stolen animals or grain, etc. These were serious crimes of course, but did they really need to come to the king to punish the thief?

So it was no surprise when Uther started to let his thoughts wander. Arthur was handling the people well without his help anyway. It had been around three weeks or so since Merlin had been poisoned by Nimueh. Three weeks since Uther had kissed Merlin spontaneously. He hadn't stopped thinking of the kiss since then. He no longer thought of Merlin as a serious threat but instead a shield to defend Camelot against Nimueh and her treacherous spells.

Every two days Merlin would come to his chambers and they'd eat dinner while discussing various ways that Merlin could help and defend Camelot. The boy seemed enthusiastic about a chance to convince his king to overturn the magic ban. But Uther wasn't completely convinced yet. Sure Merlin was no danger but what about all of the other sorcerers that would target him, his family, and his kingdom. Merlin claimed that repealing the ban would deter such criminals, but Uther had not been persuaded.

Repealing the ban would throw not only his kingdom but various other kingdoms into disarray, a point that Uther had tried to make clear to the serving boy. He'd be putting every treaty that Camelot had signed in the last twenty years into jeopardy. It was a risk he didn't think he'd be willing to take.

The meetings between him and Merlin often ended in frustration, with both sided feeling like they hadn't been heard. In fact, Uther thought, the only good thing about the meetings was that Merlin was eating a warm hearty dinner and was starting to put more meat on those bones. Uther had noticed the boy had been unhealthily skinny when he had arrived in Camelot. The truth was that the boy had a valid point. But he also had a valid point. And the two points contradicted each other. And Uther didn't know what to do.

Uther was brought out of his thoughts when the last of the petitioners came in. An old woman with long unkempt gray hair hobbled into the throne room until she stood before the two royals. Her hair and her hood served to keep her face hidden.

Uther shot a glance at Merlin, who was standing behind Arthur. Merlin quickly shot him the hand signal that meant sorcerer. The two had come up with a set of subtle hand motions for various scenarios so that Merlin could tell him something without having to shout it to the entire court like he did during the poisoned chalice fiasco. It looked like their planning had come in handy.

The old woman pointed a finger at the king, "The day of reckoning has come Uther Pendragon. The people of Camelot have fallen because of your dark desires. Now you will will fall because of theirs. Imperio populi maledicam cogo tenebris imis desideriis suis agere Camelot mittet in arce chaos!"

The guards rushed to seize the sorceress but they were too late. A red ball of energy slammed into the throne room floor and the woman disappeared leaving a large red symbol on the floor where she had been standing. The guards stopped before they crashed into each other and the rest of the court was silently looking towards him to see what he would do. So much for a dull petition day.

 _Line break_

"Gaius, what is the meaning of this?" Uther motioned to the large symbol on his floor. It was what looked like a red X inside of two circles.

"It looks like a rune, sire. I'd have to do some research to find out it's meaning."

"Right, see what you can find. Take your apprentice for extra help." He turned to his son, "Arthur you must take the men and search the citadel and the surrounding forest. The sorceress must be found and put to justice."

"Of course father." Arthur took the guards and left.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gaius motion for Merlin to follow him but he stopped them before they could leave the room.

"I'll need Merlin to aid me before he can help you with your research. My own manservant is unavailable at the moment."

His manservant had become sick earlier in the week, still able to work, but he was kept away for Uther lest he pass the sickness to the king. It also served as a wonderful excuse for his regular meetings with Merlin. Gaius nodded after a very short hesitation, obviously reluctant to leave his ward with the king but smart enough not to say anything.

Uther left the room with Merlin trailing behind him.

 _Line break_

Merlin rushed into the room after the king and barred the door behind him. He also placed a spell on the room so that no one on the outside could overhear what was being said. For the past couple of weeks Merlin had been learning more and more magic on his own from his spell book and the ones he could find in the secret room in the library. He had been emboldened by his conversations with Uther. And anyway if he was going to be of any use to Camelot he had to keep learning new spells.

The king waited until Merlin had finished protecting the room to speak, "The spell that the sorceress cast, what was it?"

"It was a compulsion spell."

"Do you remember everything she said?"

"I think so."

"And the direct translation would be..." Uther motioned for him to speak.

"The spell could be roughly translated to 'I curse and command and compel the people of Camelot to act on their own deepest darkest desires and throw this citadel into chaos' and then she did the whole red ball rune thing."

 _Red ball rune thing?_ Uther couldn't help but be amused by Merlin's antics. But even that wasn't enough to distract from the apparent looming destruction of Camelot.

"Is there any way to break the spell? Do we know exactly what the spell will do other than cause a lot of trouble?"

The warlock shook his head, "I'd have to talk with Gaius first."

The king nodded, "Alright then. Find out what it does and how to break it, and then come report to me."

Merlin could tell when he had been dismissed and rushed out of the room and towards his mentor's chambers. Hopefully Gaius would have an answer already.

A/N: Uh-Oh! Let me know what you think is gonna happen next! Comments/reads/Kudos are love! 3


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey guys! sorry for the long wait, I had some major tech difficulties and had to wait for my laptop to be fixed.

Thanks for your love! Hope you like the new chapter!

"So, any ideas on the meaning of the rune?" Merlin asked his mentor. It had taken them several hours going through dusty old books for them to find something on the spell the witch had cast.

"The rune can have several different meanings," Gaius read through his magnifying glass, "chaos, conflict, resistance, drama, and dark desires. If I had to make an educated guess, this rune coupled with the spell the sorceress cast will make everyone within a certain area act out their deepest desire at the same specific time."

"The witch said the citadel, but she also said Camelot, so we have no idea if the spell will only take hold in the citadel or the entire kingdom." Merlin held his chin in his hand wondering how he was going to stop this.

"Well, you're right, we don't know but putting a spell over the entire kingdom would take a lot of very powerful magic."

"So it's more likely that it's just the citadel," Merlin surmised, "At least there's that."

"I wouldn't feel so relieved Merlin, that's still a lot of people acting out their darkest desires. If we don't find a way to fix this, there will be many people killing, stealing, or worse. And I don't think the witch would've given us a lot of time."

"Then let's get to work." Merlin grabbed a nearby book and Gaius continued reading his. There had to be a counter-spell somewhere in one of these books. Right?

 _Line break_

Wrong. They had spent several more hours pouring over the books and there had been nothing. So now they were onto plan B. Merlin and his mentor had gone to the throne room where the rune was still inscribed on the floor. The logic was simple. Hit the thing with all he had, break the rune, and break the spell. Simple. Right?

Wrong again. Another hour was wasted with Merlin hitting the thing with all he had and the only thing he had succeeded at was exhausting himself. Now he was sitting in the King's chambers waiting for him to come back from an emergency council meeting to update him of the situation. But Merlin was so absorbed in thinking about his failure that he didn't notice the older man until Uther placed a cup of wine in front of him. He drank greedily.

"Let me guess? You weren't able to break the spell."

"Unfortunately not. How was the council meeting?"

"Horrible, as always. The councilmen wrote up a plan to calm the people and deal with the fallout of the spell in case you're not able to break it," The king held up a piece of parchment, "But it's so flawed I'm going to have to edit the entire thing."

 _Wait_. wait a minute. "Say that again?"

The king looked at him confused, "I'm...going to have to edit the entire thing."

Edit? "How did you edit something that has already been written down."

"You write over it," Uther spoke slowly.

Merlin jumped out of the chair at the epiphany, "That's it!" And then he ran out the door leaving a very confused king behind.

Uther sighed and put down his cup. He was going to have to follow the boy, wasn't he?

 _Line break_

"I was doing this wrong." Merlin walked around the rune.

"How so?" Uther asked from the doorway. He had asked his guards to leave him alone in the throne room with the boy for a while and ordered them not to disturb him.

"This entire time I was trying to break the spell, but I haven't had much practice with that so it's much harder without a counter-spell."

"Get to the point, Merlin."

"I may not be good at breaking the spell, but what if I cast one over it. It could reduce the effects of the spell or cancel it out completely. I think?"

"You think?" Uther raised an eyebrow at him.

Merlin nodded. He knelt down on the floor and lay his hands over the rune and pushed his magic out, feeling for the magic of the spell, except this time he didn't try to destroy it. He wanted to edit it. He could see the circled area in which the spell would take hold. It had indeed been cast over the citadel and not the whole kingdom. okay that made this easier.

Not really sure what he was doing, he pulled the circle tighter and tighter until he couldn't go any further. The spell now only impacted the castle. Now he could feel the deadline of the spell. It was supposed to start with in the hour and last an entire day. He pushed the deadline further away until once again he couldn't anymore. Now the spell would take place tonight. A few more hours. Unfortunately he wasn't able to do anything about the length that the spell would take place before he blacked out.

 _Line break_

"Merlin. Merlin, wake up."

Merlin opened his eyes and looked up at his king. Uther exhaled. As he became more aware, he noticed that he was in the kings arms, close to the floor.

"How long was I out?"

"Not that long, a few moments. Were you successful?"

"The spell will only take hold in the castle and it'll start tonight and last a full day. I tried to break the whole spell, but again, very little practice with such things."

"At least it's something. You're going to have to start practicing more."

Merlin gasped sarcastically, "Your Majesty, are you really condoning the use of magic? Is that not illegal?"

"You know, I have never met anyone as insolent as you Merlin."

"I get that a lot."

 _Line break_

Uther evacuated the entire castle under the guise that he was protecting himself and the prince from violence. He had Gaius and Morgana leave as well. He believed they went to Gwen's house. But the girl's father was an honorable man and so Uther wasn't that worried.

Merlin refused to leave. Arthur put up a huge fight. Not wanting his citizens to fight for their lives while they were sitting pretty and safe up in the castle. Uther told the boy that Gaius had found the spell would only take place in the castle and that the king and the prince would be the only ones to fall prey to the temporary curse.

And Merlin. Maybe. They weren't entirely sure if his magic would protect him or not. If not then Merlin would spend the next day making sure that the king and the prince weren't harmed. If so... well Merlin had made it clear that his darkest desire wasn't to kill either of them. This was probably a bad idea. But he had no choice. He had to protect his people from this dark magic.

Now the castle was eerily empty and disturbingly silent. And it was almost the middle of the night. Uther had ordered his men to lock away the weapons and form a perimeter outside the castle just in case. But they were not to enter under any circumstances.

And so here they were, Merlin, Uther, and Arthur, in an empty castle with no weapons. Each in their rooms, in their beds, but unable to sleep because of the impending spell. It read like a joke and Uther would've laughed if he wasn't feeling so dreadful.

He had a tiny suspicion of what his deepest darkest desire was. A flashback surfaced of the fantasies he had had of Merlin. The younger man holding him down and having his way with him. And he, Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot, would be left completely helpless. He'd been pushing down the longing but he knew that this spell would probably bring it out of him. He only hoped that he wouldn't be compelled to do anything he regretted.

 _Line break_

Merlin was panicking. Oh yes panic. Because he knew exactly what the spell would cause him to do. He wondered if he had made a mistake. But it was too late to leave, he'd have to get past the guards and there's no way he'd be able to do that. And he couldn't leave, what if the spell didn't impact him at all? Then he'd have to protect the prince and his father. He handcuffed himself to the bed, just in case. He knew it was useless, though. With his magic he'd be able to unlock the cuffs in seconds, but he couldn't bring himself to use iron.

The cuffs, therefore, were mostly for comfort. He could almost trick himself. Oh yes these completely useless cuffs will stop him from forcing himself on the king. Right?

Oh so very wrong.

As the moon reached its high point in the sky, a hot burning arousal took hold of the warlocks body. A flash of gold later and he was out of the cuffs.

And so it began.

A/N: Dun Dun DUN! Wonder what'll hapen next ;P


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Hey guys! Super sorry for the long delay but I was dealing with a ton of things this winter: university, holidays, birthdays, work, etc. It was crazy. So far things have calmed down enough so I can start writing again and hopefully they'll stay that way now that January is almost over. (December and January are usually my busiest months). Anyway, Here's the much awaited Chapter 22 and the smut you've all been asking for :DDD Let me know what you think in the comments and give it a kudos if you like it!

Chapter 22

Uther knew immediately when the spell hit, his body getting hotter despite the cold room. He threw the covers to the floor and gripped the edges of the mattress in an attempt to fight the urge to touch himself. He held out for a few minutes before the heat became unbearable and he let go of the mattress and took himself in hand.

Damn, how long had it been since someone had touched him so? Yes he had taken several people to bed recently, mostly young male brunettes, but they had felt...empty. Devoid of any passion.

Oh he hoped to gods that the spell wouldn't cause Merlin or Arthur to come to his chambers. How embarrassing would that be? Thank goodness he had thought to lock his doors beforehand. _Although that lock wouldn't be much of a deterrent to a sorcerer_.

Uther threw his head back as he began to pleasure himself in earnest, biting his lip to muffle the sounds escaping his mouth. He was so far gone that he didn't notice when the door unlocked and opened, until Merlin spoke.

"Well would you look at that, who knew the King of Camelot could be so whorish?" Merlin walked towards his king.

Uther could feel the heat of shame wash over his face but the desire was so strong that he couldn't stop himself, "Merlin…. _master_...have mercy on me."

"Mercy? You think you're deserving of mercy? After all that you've done to my people? You have the gall to ask for _mercy_?" With a flash of gold Merlin sent tendrils of his magic out to wrap themselves around the king and start to tease and touch and pull.

If Merlin hadn't been aroused before, he certainly was now. How long had he been fantasizing about this very image? Uther, helpless against him.

Uther tried to move away from the playful magic but there were too many ropes to avoid. His eyes rolled back when they took hold of him, touching him everywhere. Merlin smirked as he watched Uther writhing on the bed.

"Let me repent, please Merlin let me repent."

So this is what it took to make the great Uther Pendragon beg? Hearing the king's plea's gave him satisfaction like nothing else.

"Repent how?"

Uther felt the words come out of his mouth with no power to stop them "Let me give myself to you in repentance, on the condition that you'll be gentle with me?"

"Why would I be gentle when this is supposed to be a punishment?"

Uther turned his face away from the warlock, "Because I have never given myself to a man in such a way."

Merlin felt the smirk grow on his face "Is that so?"

The tendrils took hold of his arms and pulled them up while spreading his legs in the air. It was an obscene position and Uther felt completely exposed. He tested the ropes of magic that were holding his arms but they didn't budge. He was helpless, and so aroused.

"I'm your first? I'm going to be stealing your virtue?"

Merlin's eyes flashed again. The king could feel the wetness dripping from his hole. The sorcerer had made him wet like a woman. He felt a new wave of embarrassment and heat. He didn't think his face could turn any redder. Merlin slid two fingers in easily and touched that spot inside him that made him see stars.

"Oh master...you can't steal something freely given."

Merlin growled and pounced on the bed, his magic ridding him of his clothes so they were both nude. "Once you give yourself to me, little king, there will be no going back," Merlin grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, "your body and soul will belong to me and I will be your master. You will be mine."

Uther groaned, wanting to feel those fingers inside him again. "gods yes, master, please."

Merlin grinned at him and began to kiss his way down the king's body until he reached Uther's wetness. Uther couldn't help the moan when the sorcerer began to lick at his hole. The ropes held him so he couldn't move into or away from the ceaseless attention. He couldn't move at all. All he could do was absorb everything his master gave him. And for once he could lay back and let someone else worry about his pleasure.

Merlin had been with a few men before, but none of them had made such sweet noises as his king, and he reveled in the little moans that Uther fought hard to keep silent. He knew then, that he wanted to make Uther scream in pleasure.

Once more the servant slid two fingers in easily, and he moved his mouth to Uther's hard cock. The poor thing had been suffering the teasing magic for a while now, so it was harder than it had ever been before. No one had ever given Uther this much pleasure. The king began to squirm once more, not knowing how to handle to duel feelings that Merlin's mouth and fingers were giving him.

"Merlin," he tried to warn the other, "Merlin I'm going to…"

But instead of stopping, Merlin began to hit that spot inside of him more frequently while continuing to suckle his cock. Uther gasped desperately and came hard around the fingers inside him, the magic holding tight and preventing him from bucking up. When the king calmed down, Merlin took his fingers from his clenched hole. Uther groaned at the emptiness. He fell back on the bed like a puppet with cut strings.

He almost fell asleep until he felt another surge of arousal wash over him. He looked at his already hardening cock in surprise, "How?"

Merlin began to laugh, "Did you really think I'd be satisfied so easily?"

The servant surged forward and trapped Uther in a filthy kiss. Uther moaned when he tasted himself on Merlin's tongue. The king hadn't even been aware that here was a spell to make a man get hard again. Although he supposed he wasn't an expert in spells anyway.

He let out a cry when he felt three fingers enter him. Uther lost all ability to tell time, the pleasure washing away all attempts of logic. It's like he had never come at all. Like the desire from the first round had only compounded in this one. It wasn't long before he began to beg.

"Please Merlin, your cock. I need it….gods I've been dreaming of this for weeks now… Master, I need you inside me."

"Your wish is my command, pet."

Merlin entered him in one push and that's all it took for him to fall over the precipice of pleasure again. Except his master wasn't having it. Once more, Merlin used his magic to make his king hard.

Uther groaned in pained pleasure, "No master, please, I can't again."

"I'm afraid whether you can or can't is no longer up to you, my pet."

Merlin began to move within him, setting a slow pace that was driving Uther mad with each thrust. The servant paid no attention to his king's pleading. Merlin began to increase the speed of his movements.

Uther surrendered himself to the pleasure. It felt like an eternity had gone by before Merlin shuddered in release. Uther screamed Merlin's name as the feeling of liquid heat inside of him drove him off the edge.

Finally it was over. He couldn't go another round. There was no way. But even as the thought passed he could feel Merlin getting hard inside him, and another surge of heat wash over him.

Uther sobbed in delicious agony while Merlin laughed above him without restraint.

And so it continued until the spell died out.

 _Line Break_

Merlin balanced the tray in one hand and opened the door to Uther's chamber's with the other. A whole day had gone by and finally the guards and servants had entered the castle once more to work. He had heard from one of the guards that the knights were at an early morning training and that the nobles had returned to their rooms to sleep.

Merlin placed the tray on the bedside table and sat on the bed next to his king. Uther was naked and facedown beside him and the sorcerer took a moment to appreciate the view before speaking.

"I come bearing gifts, the kitchen staff assured me these were your favorites." Merlin motioned to the breakfast tray.

"Ughhh I can't move. I'm ruined."

Merlin cringed, "Sorry, I can get a salve from Gaius…if you want?"

"You broke me Merlin," Uther groaned into his pillows, "How is a salve supposed to mend me? How am I supposed to rule Camelot like this?"

The king rolled onto his back and motioned to his body which was completely covered in hickeys and bruises. Merlin tried to feel bad but it was all he could do to fight the smug grin from appearing on his face.

Uther winced at the pain, "You could heal me."

"I would...except I'm complete rubbish at healing spells"

"Of course you are," he rolled his eyes, "well then bring my breakfast here and feed me, you useless sorcerer."

Merlin mumbled, "I can think of a few ways to use my magic."

"No!" Uther pointed at him, "No more sex for you until all this bruising goes away."

"Fine." Merlin picked up a fork.

Uther relaxed and let himself be fed. A few moments later they were interrupted by knocking at the door.

"Sire? It's Sir Leon. I hate to disrupt your breakfast but it's an urgent matter. May I enter?"

"One moment." Merlin helped Uther into a robe and into a chair by the fireplace, "Enter."

Leon rushed in, "Sire, forgive me for the interruption but it seems that the prince has gone missing."


	23. Chapter 23

Uther immediately went into panic mode, arranging patrols and a search throughout the entire citadel. After Leon had gone with the arrangements in hand, the king turned to Merlin.

"This can't be happening. What in the world would make him leave the castle in the middle of the night? How did he get through the guards? What if he walks straight into the hands of that witch? What if he's already-"

"Uther stop," Merlin grabbed him by the arms, "Yes, Arthur might be in trouble right now, but panicking now isn't going to help him. You're going to stay calm and stay here in case Arthur comes back."

Uther took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can scry to find him."

Uther nodded, "Go. Find my son."

Line break

The search went on for most of the day, combing through the entire citadel, house by house, room by room. Merlin hoped to high heaven that Arthur hadn't gone past the border. But considering his luck, he probably had. If that was the case, Uther wouldn't have the authority to send patrols to other kingdoms, so the task would rest solely on his shoulders.

When had he begun to refer to the king as 'Uther'? Did Uther mind? He certainly didn't seem to mind last night. Okay, daydreaming aside, it was time to focus.

He had tried to scry for Arthur this morning but he had used up so much of his magic last night that he only saw a few seconds. At least Arthur was alive and seemed to be in perfect condition. The spell should've worn off by now but Arthur hadn't turned around. Unfortunately, Merlin wasn't able to tell which direction Arthur was headed.

It wasn't towards the perilous lands, so that ruled out north. Arthur had no reason to head towards Escetir and Camelot wasn't entirely on good terms with Mercia yet, especially after the poisoned chalice fiasco, so that ruled out east. Merlin didn't know anything about Camelot's relationship with Nemeth, which was located southward, but he did know that Godwin, the King of Gwant was an old time friend of Uther's and one of Camelot's strongest allies. Arthur must've gone in that direction. So Uther had sent the majority of the patrols west on his advice.

The sun was about to go down when he decided to scry for Arthur again. The image was fuzzy but he could sense the prince's general location and damn it, the patrols had been heading in the wrong direction. But why would Arthur be heading towards Escetir? Although… after a few more minutes Arthur seemed to be heading towards Camelot from Escetir. Huh. Merlin decided to ask Arthur what desired so much in another kingdom when he returned.

Line Break

The sun had gone down a few hours ago. Uther had been pacing a hole into the floor in his chambers for a while now. Merlin gone to arrange a bath in Arthur's rooms, saying that Arthur was coming back and that he'd be here soon.

What had that boy been thinking? Although it was probably the spell that caused this. A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. Arthur walked in and Uther rushed to his side.

"Where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you? How did you even get through the guards last night?"

"I am the one who organized them, it wasn't that hard" Arthur's voice was quiet and he seemed distant, looking down at the floor instead of making eye contact.

"Where did you go?" Uther got quiet too.

Arthur turned to him and narrowed his eyes, "Is that a hickey? Or several? Who did you take to bed last night?"

Uther tried to pull up his collar to hide the marks that Merlin had left behind.

Arthur continued, "Or do you not want to tell me... because it's private?"

"Ah... I see your point" Uther could take a hint after all. "There is a reason some of our desires are kept hidden. Will you ever tell me?"

"Maybe" And with that Arthur excused himself and left.

Well at least his son had made it back safely.

Line Break

Merlin poured another bucket of water into the tub and performed the spell to heat up the water to a perfect temperature. A few days ago he had seen a spell to create water out of thin air, but until he mastered it he'd have to do it the normal way. When he was done he sat with his back to the tub. He stomach rolled, not with hunger, but with guilt. It was his job to keep Arthur safe, according to the dragon that had talked to him his first night in Camelot, (which he kept forgetting to discuss with Uther, maybe on purpose because he didn't want to rock the boat too much) and he had failed.

Merlin had left Arthur unprotected while he ravished his friend's father. He knew it had been the spell but the desire had been there before the spell. So yeah, guilty. Guilty of bending his king over and having his way with him. Which probably meant he was also guilty of treason, although what a way to go. And now he was daydreaming again.

He shoved all those heated thoughts away when Arthur walked through the door.

"Arthur—"

"Don't ask. I won't tell you." Arthur ignored Merlin completely as he undressed and stepped into the bath.

After a few seconds Merlin broke the silence, "So, you're just going to act like nothing happened? Like you didn't leave the castle last night?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Me and your father were worried about you, don't you think we deserve an explanation?"

"Excuse me? 'We'?" Arthur sat up in mild shock, "Since when are you so chummy with my father? I thought you didn't like him."

"Uh…" Merlin tried to backtrack, "Well, I– it's just that, well, your father thought that I knew where you were and was mad at me when I didn't, and I don't want to end up in the stocks again."

"Oh." Arthur relaxed back into the tub, "Don't worry about that Merlin. Me and father have come to an agreement. So no stocks for you. Yet."

"Oh...That's good...an agreement?"

"If he's not going to tell me who he took to bed last night, I'm not going to tell him a thing about where I went. And to be completely honest, I don't even want to know who he was with. Some things are meant to be private."

Merlin choked on air, "Your...father was with someone last night?"

Arthur snorted, "Right in the middle of chaos and he has time to bring someone to his bed. Hell, he probably arranged it before the evacuation."

"Oh."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "You're dismissed for the night Merlin."

"Oh um alright, I'll just go then."

Merlin walked out then froze outside Arthur's room. Where to now? He always went back to his room but after last night should he go to Uther's room instead? Without really thinking about it Merlin walked off in the direction of the king's chambers, hoping that he wouldn't be turned away.

Line break

Uther hadn't gone to bed directly after Arthur's report, too energized from the panic to fall asleep. Instead he had been sitting in his favorite chair by the fireplace contemplating the magic ban as he had done many nights before. But now things were different. The reality of what had happened in the last few days was setting in. Merlin was no longer a random sorcerer, he was his lover. Something had to change. Something had to be done. Something had to break.

He heard the door open and close gently. Uther looked up to see Merlin standing by the door looking nervous and hesitant.

"What happened to my confident conqueror from last night?" Uther teased.

Merlin looked up at him, "It's just that...well we were under a spell last night… and I didn't know if you wanted me here... tonight."

"Well I'm not entirely ready for another round just yet, but... you could retire with me."

Merlin nodded and helped Uther into his night clothes. The king was used to getting dressed by himself but gave himself over to Merlin's care. And oh he had forgotten how wonderful and freeing it was, to be taken care of. To be spoiled. To let go of the worry and tension.

Merlin led him to bed where they embraced each other. It wasn't long before Merlin began squirming in his arms. Uther looked down over Merlin's shoulder to see the obvious signs of arousal in his lover's pants.

"I'm sorry," Merlin cringed.

Uther gave a quiet laugh, "You're young, it's to be expected."

The king wondered how on earth he was going to keep up with his younger lover. Merlin was going to be the death of him.

Uther pulled himself up and sat against the headboard, "Come here. Let me take care of you."

Merlin blushed slightly and moved so his back was flush against Uther's front. The king reached around and slid his hands into his sorcerer's trousers and pulled out his cock. He began to stroke at a languid pace. Merlin threw his head back against Uther's shoulder. The king set a slow and steady pace, gently bringing his lover to climax. It was less than what they had done the night before, and yet it felt more intimate. More special.

After a languid kiss they both laid back down to go to sleep. Uther decided then and there that he wouldn't worry about the magic ban for now. He'd go with the flow and enjoy the honeymoon phase while it lasted. Unbeknownst to him, however, it wasn't going to last for long.

Line break

The group of men jeered at the young girl in the cage, throwing things at her and shouting obscenities at her. She looked at the crowd, eyes searching for someone who would help her. She knew no help was coming, but it didn't stop her from crying out.

"Help?" The man leading the cage on wheels laughed cruelly, "Don't you know where we're going? We're going to Camelot! We'll arrive tomorrow. So you can stand trial in front of the great King himself."

The man came closer to her, "And do you know what he's going to do when he finds out you're nothing but a dirty witch? He'll burn you!"

The man laughed in her face and the crowd joined in, and the poor girl began to cry, praying to anyone up there who may be listening to save her from the pyre.

End of chapter

A/N: *gasp* Oh no! Arthur's desire will be revealed later on in the plot. Wonder what's going to happen next though :) trouble on the horizon *smirks evilly* :)

Edit: Jeez, thanks to everyone who let me know there was an issue with the formatting with this chapter, sorry bout that :) will double check in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again.


	24. Chapter 24

If there was anything that Uther missed about being in a relationship, it was this. Waking up next to someone you cared for deeply. The feeling of togetherness. Over the last twenty or so years since...He had of course taken many to his bed. But never, not once, had they stayed the night. Uther had thought back then that he would never again get to experience this. How sad that he couldn't remember the last time he had felt well and truly happy and at peace.

The king thought Merlin was beautiful all the time. But here with the morning sunlight dancing over his lover's skin, Merlin looked ethereal. Merlin blinked his eyes open to blinding sunlight and groaned.

"Just a few more moments," He flipped over and covered his face with a pillow.

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," Uther grabbed the pillow and gently ripped it away from his lover, "You're already late by at least an hour and there's a council meeting at noon."

Merlin jumped up out of bed, "Oh damn it, now that prat is going to double my chores."

Uther laughed as Merlin kissed him on the cheek and rushed out the door. Uther fell back on the bed, sinking into the giddiness, a feeling he hadn't felt since he had been a teenager. Merlin made him feel young again. He should really be embarrassed. Strong kings had no business feeling such feminine emotions. Although Morgana would more than likely never speak to him again if she heard him say such a thing.

He waited but the embarrassment never came. At the moment he could only feel one thing. For the first time in forever Uther felt happy. If only he could've known how cruelly it would be ripped away from him and replaced with a feeling of dread.

Uther listened carefully as one of his councilmen reported that Camelot had a new guest. A bounty hunter who had come with a prisoner. A witch.

Uther sighed, "Take the witch to the dungeons. We'll reschedule the council meeting and hold a trial in its place."

 _Line break_

Merlin leaned up against the wall in the back of the throne room. He had been dressing Arthur when the news came in. A witch had been arrested and brought in for a trial. Merlin wished he had the energy to scoff. A mockery of a trial if he'd ever seen one. Everyone knew what the verdict would be. But…

There was a small part of him, hoping against all reason, that Uther would pardon the little girl that had been thrown at his feet. Merlin could feel the tears building up behind his eyes and fought to keep them suppressed. There was no need to jump to conclusions, he told himself, Uther hasn't given a sentence yet. Perhaps all of their late night talks made a difference. Perhaps their newfound relationship made a difference. Perhaps...he had made a difference.

But alas. Merlin felt his spine turn to metal and his legs turn to jelly. The death sentence. A beheading. He was going to be sick. The room emptied. The guards dragged the crying girl out roughly. Arthur and Morgana stayed behind. Gwen, much like Merlin, stayed back in fear of the king who had once sentenced her to the pyre. Merlin stayed because he couldn't move now without passing out.

 _Line break_

"You can't seriously be planning the execution of a child?" Morgana all but screamed at him.

Uther rubbed at his eyes and sighed again, "Morgana, please."

"Father…" Arthur stepped forward.

"Not you as well."

"Father you know that I would never allow a threat to this kingdom roam free, but this? I understand that magic is bad but killing a child feels so _wrong_."

Uther stood from his throne, "Magic isn't just bad, it's-"

Uther looked for a brief moment to the corner of the room where Merlin was trying and failing to hide his distress. A feeling of deja vu washed over him. They had been here before, all of them in the same positions. Did nothing ever change? Were they cursed to relive history? Was he meant to give up his newfound happiness for the good of the kingdom?

The lecture of the evils of magic died in his throat as he was suddenly very aware of his audience. He was speaking now, not just to Arthur and Morgana, but to Merlin.

"Its…what?" Arthur shared a few looks with Morgana, both of them concerned that he hadn't immediately started ranting about magic. He sat back down and sighed. He'd been sighing a lot this morning.

"Leave me, both of you, please." He must've sounded tired since Arthur, Morgana, and their servants left without more of a fuss. Thank goodness, because it was true. He was tired.

 _Line break_

Morgana used to be his biggest worry when it came to executions but now he had someone else to worry about. It didn't take long before he was accosted by Merlin in his chambers.

"How could you?"

"The law is the law, Merlin. What am I to do?" Uther responded in a voice that lacked any feeling.

"I'm so sick of you acting like you're not in charge of the damned law!"

Uther didn't respond. He only looked at his fuming lover for a long while in silence. Were they still lovers?

"What do you want me to do?"

Merlin could clearly see the war Uther was fighting within himself but he wasn't going to back down now.

"Pardon her."

"Merlin, we've talked about this," Uther shook his head, "Just because you use you're magic for good doesn't mean all magic users are going to use their abilities for good."

"So what? Better to just kill us all then? Before we even have a chance to prove ourselves? That little girl hasn't had the chance to grow up bitter yet. She could still be good, just like I was raised to be good." Merlin sat down next to him, "Uther I know you can do the right thing."

Uther looked away, "Do whatever you want. You have my permission."

"No."

"No?" Uther furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean, no."

"It's time for you to pick a side. I'm not going to stand for this passive acceptance anymore."

"What else do you want from me?! Where would this girl even go? How can I be sure that she won't turn against Camelot given a few more years?"

Merlin thought for a few moments, "We could take her to the druids."

"The druids." Uther scoffed.

"They're a peaceful people who use their magic for good."

Uther was silent for many minutes.

"Fine. I will help you release this sorcerer on the condition that if she turns against Camelot you will end her life without hesitation."

"Without hesitation." Merlin nodded.

"We'll do it tonight. Have you been practicing that invisibility spell?"

 _Line break_

"What are we going to do?" Morgana picked at her nails without noticing.

"I don't know?" Arthur continued to pace.

"We have to free her." Morgana insisted.

"If we're going to free her…" Arthur slumped down into the chair next to the king's ward, "We're going to have to do it tonight."


	25. Chapter 25

Merlin snuck into the empty kitchens. All of the kitchen staff were at a meeting discussing what would be prepared for the King's usual 'after-execution-celebration feast'. Of course, Merlin knew that there wouldn't be a celebration. At least if everything went according to plan.

The young warlock was jumping for joy and simultaneously nervous. He had done it. He had convinced Uther to save the girl himself. Merlin knew now that deep down, deep deep down, Uther wanted the ban overturned. But he felt locked in by what was now a tradition. And it was up to Merlin to help him break away.

The servant quickly filled the bag with food and a water skin. He didn't know how long it would take to find the druids. He went to the stables and readied his horse. The guards at the gate let him through without questioning him. They were so used to Gaius' apprentice going out to search for herbs. They didn't even notice when he came back empty handed and without his horse. Merlin was going to have to talk with Uther about upping the castle's security.

He made his way to the king's chambers. He had an invisibility spell to practice.

 _Line Break_

Merlin had been practicing for a while when the king walked in and sat across from him.

"Are you making much progress with the spell?"

"Well, so far I've been able to make my hand invisible but not my whole body."

Uther shook his head, "No, that won't work. You need to be completely invisible to walk with me past the guards."

"I'll keep trying but I could always distract the guards and sneak past them. I've done it before."

The king looked up at him. "And why exactly were you sneaking into the dungeons?"

"Ummm," Merlin froze. Uh oh. This was not a good time to discuss Kilgharrah with Uther.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Merlin."

"I… was visiting the Great Dragon?"

The king paused. "Was that a question?"

"It was a statement, I was just… wondering how you were going to react."

Uther groaned and held his head, fighting the oncoming headache, "We'll deal with this after we're done with the current disaster."

"I'm guessing things didn't go over well with Arthur and Morgana?"

"Surprisingly, they didn't fuss much which is suspicious in and of itself. Either way I've sent them both to their room to be put under guard. It's the bounty hunters who've been ruining my day so far?"

"What do they want?"

"They tried to get me to double their pay since they brought the girl from the borders. I didn't even want to pay them in the first place since I know the girl is going to get released anyway."

"Why don't you just...not pay them?"

"Where do I even begin? The main reason is that they'd go work for some other kingdom instead taking with them rumors that Camelot is too poor to pay its workers and pretty soon we'll have an army on our doorstep."

"Oh," Merlin looked back down at his spell book.

"Let me worry about it. You just focus on getting that spell right."

 _Line Break_

Leon waited until a little after sundown before knocking on Arthur's door. Two rapid knocks followed by a slower one. Arthur and Morgana avoided the King the entire day, choosing the silent treatment instead of directly fighting with his as they had before. As a result both were sent to their rooms to be watched over by a guard but thankfully not under lock and key. Leon had made sure that he was Arthur's guard.

And why exactly was Sir Leon helping Arthur and Morgana commit treason? He had been asking himself the same question all day. In the end it came down to the knight's code and his loyalty to Arthur. Sure he had served King Uther his entire life but he and Arthur had trained together since they were boys. That and the fact that killing a child in any capacity just felt wrong. He was slowly starting to realize that it was a sentiment shared by many.

So here he was, playing his part in that little girl's great escape. He had used his connections to make sure he was placed as Arthur's guard. Gwen was supposed to take care of Morgana's guard immediately after sundown. She had told him not to worry about it. And he trusted Gwen. He had known her since he was little too. Probably longer than he knew Arthur. They had spent the entire day searching for Merlin, but to no avail. Gaius did mention that the servant was not one for violence so perhaps he had made himself scarce. Leon hoped he was alright.

Arthur peaked his head out a few moments later. When he saw the coast was clear he motioned to Leon, "Come on let's get Morgana and Gwen. They should have already gotten rid of their keeper. Have you seen Merlin?"

"Gwen and I tried searching for him all day. He's nowhere to be found."

"Damn. Perhaps he had something to do for Gaius.?"

"No, we checked with him. It might be possible that he left the citadel. Just for a few days."

"Makes sense. I don't think he'd be one to enjoy executions."

"That makes all of us then."

"Except for my father"

They shared a grim look and headed towards Morgana's chambers.

 _Line Break_

Arthur gave the signature knock on Morgana's door and she opened the door for them.

"Did you take care of the guard?"

Morgana nodded, "Gwen was able to knock him out with a potion from Gaius that she slipped into his drink. He's tied up in my closet. He won't be alerting anyone anytime soon."

The prince turned to her, "Nice work Guinevere."

"Thank you sire," Gwen blushed, "Gaius let me help him since Merlin hasn't been around today. It was easy to slip one of the bottles in my pocket when he wasn't looking."

"So no one has seen Merlin at all? I'm starting to get a bit worried," Arthur paused, "No one tell him I said that."

Morgana shared a grin with her servant.

Gwen wondered for a moment if Merlin was spending the day with the King, perhaps trying to convince him to let the girl go like he did when she was in prison. Gwen made a note to talk more in depth with Merlin about his relationship to the king, although every time she had tried he ran away from the conversation. "I'm sure he's okay. Let's focus on getting that poor girl out of the dungeons."

Arthur nodded, "You and Leon are to go home. Morgana and I will go free the girl."

"What?"

"But sire-"

The responses came simultaneously.

"But nothing. It's too dangerous if the group gets caught. At most father will throw us into a cell for a day or two, but if he catches either of you you'll both be accused of treason. And we all know what the punishment for that is."

Gwen stepped forward, "At least let me help by getting a horse ready and waiting in the woods for you."

Morgana set her hands on the girl's shoulders, "No Gwen, Arthur is right for once. Please go home. I don't want you involved any further. I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you. Once we get the girl out, I'll wait in the woods while Arthur double backs to get a horse."

"Where are you taking the girl? If I may ask, sire?" Leon questioned.

Arthur sighed, "I knew this would come out eventually."

 _Line break_

Arthur and Morgana crouched down on the staircase into the dungeons. Looking over the banister Arthur could see that the guards were all focused on their game. It might be enough for them to sneak by. But then again, maybe not.

The prince picked up a rock the size of his palm and threw it into one of the hallways in the opposite direction he and Morgana were headed. When all the guards turned away towards the sound they both slipped into the corridor when the girl was being kept.

"Which cell is she in?" Morgana questioned.

"It shouldn't be much further. Keep quiet."

Finally after a bit more walking they reached the child's cell. She had been chained to the wall roughly. Arthur felt a wave of rage and sympathy rise in him. How could his father claim to be doing good when this poor child was being treated thus.

Arthur was about to reach for his keys when Morgana grabbed his arm and pulled him quickly into the cell across from the girl's.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh, someone's coming." Morgana whispered.

They hid behind some crates. Thank goodness the storage rooms were full and some crates were being kept in the cells or else they wouldn't have anywhere to hide. They heard footsteps come to a stop in front of their cell. Arthur risked a peak and inhaled. He motioned from Morgana to look.

It was his father. Decked out in his royal clothing. Morgana looked at him with fear in her eyes. This wasn't the plan. His father never visited prisoners especially magic users.

They got down lower so that they wouldn't be seen.

Morgana gave him a motion that asked, "What are we going to do?"

Arthur shook his head. He didn't know. They listened as the king unlocked the cell and heard the sound of manacles being unchained. His father was releasing the girl from her iron cuffs? This didn't make any sense.

"Is the bag and horse ready?" They heard Uther ask out loud.

Who was he talking to? The girl?

"Yes, your majesty."

He froze in shock. Arthur recognized that voice. They both looked over the crates and saw Merlin, who hadn't been there a second ago, standing next to the king.

"Ride hard. Get back before my son notices you're gone. The bells will ring soon after your escape. I trust you know where to go."

Merlin nodded. His servant took the girl's hand and led her away towards where Arthur knew there was a siege tunnel that lead out into the forest. It was the same one he and Morgana were going to use. His father left in the direction of the dungeon entrance.

They both stood up slowly, completely in shock. Arthur has so many questions. Had Merlin spent the entire past day with his father, and that's why no one had seen him? Did his father, King Uther Pendragon really just release a sorceress? He broke his own law. Was this the first time? How did Merlin get here without making any noise? What in the hell was going on?

Morgana and Arthur snuck back into the castle, the guards didn't even notice them. Arthur made a note to talk with his father about security. Preferably after he had figured out when the world had gone mad.

 _Line break_

"Let me get this straight, your father actually let a sorceress go?" Leon asked for the hundredth time.

"I'm more concerned with the part that Merlin's been playing in all of this." Arthur crossed his arms and leaned against the bedpost.

Morgana turned towards him, "Why is Merlin the bigger concern? I mean Uther actually letting a magic user free? The world must be ending."

"Either that or he's under an enchantment." Leon rubbed at his temples.

"Or maybe he has changed his mind about magic." Gwen suggested.

"No there's no way." Morgana shook her head, "He's been murdering those who use magic for twenty years. And you're telling me he just changed his mind? Either he's under an enchantment or…"

"Or what?" Gwen asked.

Arthur sat down across from her, "Or the Uther that we saw tonight was an impostor, like with Lady Helen. And Merlin is in on it. Which is exactly why Merlin is the bigger concern. We know several things. Merlin was appointed by my father, impostor or not, and they've been secretly working together for god knows how long and the way Merlin showed up in the dungeons without a sound means he can be a lot stealthier than I thought he could be. There's only two possible conclusions."

Leon looked at his prince nervously, "Which are?"

"Either my father has been replaced by a fake and he and Merlin have been conspiring against the crown,... or my father really has changed his mind about magic to some degree and Merlin has been working this entire time for my father, as his spy."


End file.
